Japan Protest Was Reckless, Admits HK Activist

Detained activist Alex Kwok has admitted that his protest at Japan's Yasukuni Shrine last December was "reckless", but says he still doesn't understand why he is being prosecuted as it was a peaceful demonstration.

Speaking to RTHK in Tokyo, Kwok said now he feels sorry for his relatives, including his elderly mother and his two children.

Kwok was arrested for trespassing along with another Action Committee for Defending the Diaoyu Islands activist, Yim Man-wa.

They had set fire to a tablet-like prop outside the shrine, which is a memorial to Japan's war dead – including convicted war criminals from World War Two.

They were also demanding Shinzo Abe's government take responsibility for the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.

Kwok also criticised the Hong Kong government for not helping him.

In response, the Immigration Department said it has been following up on the matter and its officials had accompanied the two activists' families to Japan.

It said staff from the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo had visited the pair often to ensure that they are being treated fairly while in detention.