May 01 (NHK) - Police in western Japan have arrested an escaped inmate after a massive manhunt lasting over 20 days. The man escaped from a low-security prison in early April.
Police said on Monday they captured Tatsuma Hirao in Hiroshima shortly before noon after receiving a tip. They say Hirao admitted to his identity, and that his fingerprints proved he was the escapee.
Up to 1,200 police personnel had been hunting for him on Mukaishima, a small island on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture. Footage from a security camera had showed someone who looked like Hirao in a forest there.
The 27-year old fled the prison in neighboring Ehime Prefecture on April 8th. He had been convicted of theft and other charges.
Hirao told police that he swam to the main island of Honshu from Mukaishima, where he had been hiding until some 6 days ago. He said he later went to Hiroshima by train.
Police arrested him on a street in Hiroshima shortly after an internet cafe worker told police that a man resembling Hirao visited the establishment.
A senior police official overseeing Mukaishima said he's very sorry for the great anxiety the incident caused to both the islanders and tourists in the area. He added that although the inmate was arrested off the island, police fulfilled their responsibility.
Hirao is to be transferred to police in Ehime Prefecture for more questioning.
Hirao is an inmate of Matsuyama Prison's Oi shipyard, an open facility for model prisoners. They are not locked in their rooms.
Source: ANNnewsCH
