More than 100 police, firefighters and officials were called to the shrine’s public bathroom on Monday after a small fire was reported to authorities. No one was injured.
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Yasukuni shrine honours Japan’s war dead including military and political leaders convicted of war crimes by an worldwide military tribunal after World War II.
No injuries have been reported but the ceiling, floor and wall of the toilet were damaged, local media reported.
The Tokyo fire department told Sankei News that the resulting fire was put out quickly.
Tokyo metropolitan police declined comment as the case was still under investigation.
The cause of the blast is still unclear. Footage on TV Asahi showed a bomb squad in protective gear entering the shrine premises.
The shrine is regarded as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism and visits to the shrine by Japanese politicians have stoked protests from China and South Korea, where memories of Japanese occupation and colonialism before and during World War Two run deep.
Security officers investigate at the south gate of Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
Many families and tourists visit Yasukuni.
The shrine has a grandiose gate, giant cherry trees and a museum that pays homage to those who died in Japan’s wars, including kamikaze pilots.
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The Niiname-sai ceremony was conducted as scheduled, shrine officials said.
