Three Tokyo youths arrested for cork hunting

Jun 22, 2017 | News On Japan

Jun 22, 2017 (rocketnews24.com) - On 19 June it was announced that three teens were arrested for the robbery and assault of a 20-year-old man. The victim was on his moped when a cigarette was put out on his face and his bike and helmet were stolen from him.

Police said two of the three suspects, two boys aged 17 and 18 confessed to the crimes while the remaining 17-year-old girl has denied some charges claiming, "I was just borrowing the bike." All three reside in the Adachi Ward of Tokyo.

Police also said that the group were engaging in "cork hunting" which caused the room to fill with the sounds of single eyebrows raising. They went on to explain that cork hunting is a practice among bosozoku (young Japanese bikers) to steal the helmets of rival gang members.

Motorcycle helmets which use cork as a shock absorber are said to be preferred among bosozoku, so presumably anyone wearing one is suspected to be in another gang and are targeted. Cork helmets tend to have a unique design that somewhat resembles a baseball cap, so they're rather unlikely to be worn by casual riders.

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