Japanese authorities have said a 23-year-old Australian man arrested for defacing a Government sign in the ancient city of Kyoto defended the graffiti by calling it art.

Key points: A 23-year-old Australian man was arrested in Kyoto for alleged vandalism

A 23-year-old Australian man was arrested in Kyoto for alleged vandalism Police say Jarrah David Dahlenburg-Gamble told them the graffiti was art

Police say Jarrah David Dahlenburg-Gamble told them the graffiti was art They say he used a black pen to write "ghost" on the government sign

Jarrah David Dahlenburg-Gamble was arrested by officers on a tip-off, and they then accused him of using a black pen to write "ghost" on the sign.

When the ABC contacted Kyoto police to ask about the man's alleged offence, their response was, "Oh, the ghost guy."

Officers said the outer-Melbourne man admitted that he graffitied with a black pen, and said his claim that the graffiti was a work of art was not an excuse.

An Instagram page appearing to belong to Mr Dahlenburg-Gamble shows numerous posts hashtagged #japangraffiti, as well as photos of the "ghost" tag.

Mr Dahlenburg-Gamble has been posting images of his graffiti tag 'ghost' on Instagram. ( Instagram: Jarrah Dahlenburg-Gamble )

Similar tags were found in at least 36 places in the area including restaurants, residential walls, street signs and bridges.

Mr Dahlenburg-Gamble's Instagram includes several pictures of the graffiti tag 'Ghost'. ( Instagram: Jarrah David Dahlenburg-Gamble )

Yasushi Komai owns a local restaurant that was graffitied and said he wanted more surveillance in the area.

"There are many tourists who have good manners, but those who take part in thoughtless actions ruin the perceptions of everyone," he said.

"Kyoto is a place where we have taken great care of the cityscape. To keep it for the next 200 years I would like tourists to treat the area with care."

The 'ghost' tag was spotted at 36 locations around the city of Kyoto. ( Supplied: NHK )

Police have referred Mr Dahlenburg-Gamble to prosecutors who will make a decision whether to pursue charges.

Officers are communicating with him in English and the Australian consulate has been contacted.

Australian arrested for Tokyo graffiti attack in April

Graffiti on a subway train in Japan. ( Supplied )

Last month a 27-year-old Australian man was arrested at Tokyo's Narita Airport over a graffiti attack on trains in 2018.

Police alleged Paul Han broke into a train yard in the Bunkyo ward of Tokyo on February 19 last year and graffitied trains for more than an hour and a half.

His details had been flagged and upon arriving in Japan again he was arrested.

In his possession were spray cans, marker pens, bolt cutters, six video cameras, a head torch and binoculars.

The authorities said they believed he was planning another graffiti attack.