News On Japan

Drunk Roppongi barman stole garbage truck to avoid using train

Dec 03 (tokyoreporter.com) - Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Friday announced the arrest of a barman in the Roppongi entertainment area of Minato Ward for allegedly stealing a waste collection truck earlier this year, reports the Asahi Shimbun

On July 28 at around 7:50 a.m., Shunsuke Honma, a 23-year-old resident of Edogawa Ward, allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat of the vehicle while it was stopped on a road in the district and drove off.

Honma, who has been accused of theft, admits to the allegations. “Since the morning trains are crowded, it was too much of a bother,” the suspect was quoted by police.

According to police, the regular driver of the truck left the cab with the engine running when Honma took the wheel. The suspect drove the vehicle for about 2 kilometers to the front of JR Shimbashi Station before abandoning it. He then walked in the direction of Ginza.

Pulling open doors of other vehicles

Two hours before the incident, Honma was drinking in a bar in Roppongi. Between that time and the alleged theft, he was seen pulling open doors of multiple vehicles in security camera footage, police said.

At a parking lot, he asked another driver of a waste collection truck if he could take him to the Kachidoki area of Chuo Ward, according to the Sankei Shimbun (Dec. 1).

Since Honma does not possess a driver’s license, police are investigating whether to also accuse him of violating the Road Traffic Act.

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department held a review ceremony for its riot police units at Meiji Jingu Gaien in Tokyo on May 20th, with around 1,700 officers marching in formation as part of a large-scale demonstration of security preparedness.

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

Two women were found dead with stab wounds at a house in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, on May 19th, with police suspecting they were victims of a violent crime.

Bear attacks continue to occur across Japan, while a new problem has emerged as false reports of bear sightings flood local alert systems, placing growing pressure on municipal authorities and emergency responders.

A man in his 30s was referred to prosecutors after allegedly feeding a chocolate snack to a marmot at an animal cafe in Osaka Prefecture, despite the risk that the treat could cause poisoning or even death in the squirrel-family animal.