Tourists from mainland China have been blamed for a spate of vandalism at shrines across Japan resulting in wooden prayer tablets bearing messages of support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong defaced or destroyed.

Visitors to Japanese Shinto shrines traditionally purchase ema tablets and write down a wish or prayer before tying it to a rack in the hope of receiving good fortune. In recent months, however, shrines up and down the country have reported dozens of cases in which ema have been vandalised.