- Video shows a Japanese woman shooting the Olympic torch with a water gun.
- The woman was reportedly arrested for the act.
- Japanese citizens have protested the Tokyo Olympics this year over public health concerns
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A Japanese woman has reportedly been arrested and accused of shooting the Olympic torch with a water gun.
The 53-year-old Kayoko Takahashi is accused of being the woman seen in a viral video shooting a small water gun at the torch while being carried through Sinba Park, Mito, the capital of Japan's Ibaraki prefecture.
The woman was heard saying "No Olympics" and "Stop the Games" in Japanese while shooting the torch.
A member of the security team held up a protective surface to deflect the water. The sprays that did hit the torch but seemingly did not affect the flame, and the torchbearer continued on the route unfazed.
The security guard detained the woman, and she was later arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business around 7:40 pm JST, according to Toru Morinaga of The Mainichi.
According to the report, Takahashi admitted to the allegations and said that she did it to protest the Olympics being held.
Japanese Citizens have been protesting the Olympics over the public health concerns that come with hosting the Olympics through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 70% of the country thinks the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were originally scheduled for last year, should either be postponed yet again due to the pandemic or canceled entirely, according to a Kyodo News poll.
An online petition to cancel the Olympics, which went live last Wednesday, has so far garnered more than 310,000 signatures.
Japan has been under a state of emergency since April 25 and is expected to extend its state of emergency until August 22, according to Reuters. That would extend the state of the emergency throughout the duration of the entire Olympics.