Two members of the Japan Air Self Defense Force were arrested in Aichi Prefecture on Saturday for apparently stealing the wallet of a drunk man who was sleeping in an area parking lot, Aichi police said Monday.
The two men confessed to the crime, and claimed they stole the victim's wallet because they didn't have enough money to return to the air base in which they were stationed. The air base is located in Aichi Prefecture's Komaki City.
According to a Jiji report, the victim was a 23-year-old office worker who was sleeping in a parking lot of Nagoya's Sakae-ku area. The man's wallet apparently contained only 1,000 yen. A nearby police officer witnessed the crime and apprehended the individuals.
© Japan Today
23 Comments
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nath
基地外
That really is clever.
UsagitoSaru
I live in Komaki. Don't want anymore thieves there! it is getting worse and worse every year out here. I come across so many abandoned stolen bicycles on my way to and from classes and grocery shopping.
Badge213
There are no court-martials in the Japan Self Defense forces, since all SDF members are civilian civil servants, all crimes committed by SDF members are handled by the jurisdiction they are charged in.
JKats
Sometimes minds play mad... They had better options like @JapanGal said...
sakurala
genji17: In some situations the police may lend someone money. For example, I was on a small island in Okainawa and due to a series of unfortunate incidents, I found myself at the ferry pier without the money I needed for the ferry. Being a small island, they weren't willing to take credit cards either and the one and only ATM was taking a holiday....in that case the police not only lent me money, but actually invited me to stay on the island for one more night to attend a festival. I think that the police would have help out these men, if they would have asked.
Sunjovi
May be they r coming from pachhinko with all money lost there lol.
The758
That was a really stupid thing to do. They didn't have 200 yen for the bus? One goes from Sakae to right near the airport/base. As CrazyJoe said, they could have also walked - it's doable.
Also Sakae is not a "ku". Sakae is in Naka-ku.
CrazyJoe
I'm glad you got it!
HumanTarget
Crazy Joe, that is a hilarious pun.
electric2004
Where is the nationwide outrage over soldiers bad behavior outside of bases.
Who is going to apologize to the public for these crimes?
CrazyJoe
These men are members of the self defense force. They could have run back base. It's only about 16 kilometers (10 miles) to the base. Even if you walk, it would have only taken a little more than 3 hours, if you walked at 5 kilometers per hour. Shall I call these guys "基地外" (crazy)?
genji17
really? this works?
The Munya Times
Maybe local Aichi residents should stage a demonstration to request Japan to withdraw ASDF forces from Aichi and relocate them somewhere else. No one would be surprised, we have got used to these kind of demonstrations against military forces when their members commit crimes, although at a different location in Japan.
cactusJack
You gotta be a total fool to rob a male 23 year old. They got no money, folks...esp. late at night.
Asagao
What a hero. Not only did the officer spot the crime, but from the story, he apprehended and arrested two desperate soldiers, who are trained to kill, in a dark car park. What guts!
nath
Should have gone to the koban and asked to borrow it.
BlueWitch
@adhocmanager
But then..this is japan, my friend...they'll probably have their wrists slapped with a gomen letter and off they go... shouganai!
Christina O'Neill
Should have stayed on base if they could not afford the return fare. Well done the observant police officer who caught them
nath
I'm just shocked that no one seems to have money nowadays. Still good for them that they caught. There's no excuse for stealing.
adhocmanager
They should be court-martialed and imprisoned for this silly crime. 1,000 yen is not worth losing a hard earned career in the military nor losing the trust of your beloved country. If I was in this position I would call my commanding officer and tell him of the predicament. I am sure there is some other way to get to the base.
paulinusa
Pretty sad and disappointing to sad the least.
some14some
How old are these flying boys? No money to reach the base? hired on part-time base?