crime

Aichi man arrested again after having slashed over 1,000 women’s tires to get to know them better

38 Comments
By SoraNews24

A 43-year-old woman exited a supermarket in Higashiura, Aichi Prefecture, on June 11, and drove away in her car. However, she didn’t get far before noticing that her driver’s side rear tire had gone completely flat.

While she was examining the flat tire, another car drove up. The driver, 32-year-old Yoshito Harada, offered to replace her damaged tire. While a kind gesture from an apparently total stranger, the woman was struck with a sudden case of déjà vu. This is because the exact same thing had happened to her in June of the previous year.

Unsettled by the coincidence, she decided to report the encounter to the police who investigated the matter and found through surveillance camera footage that Harada had slashed her tire in the parking lot of the supermarket. He then followed her car until it pulled over so that he could be the first on the scene to offer help.

According to police, Harada admitted to the crime, saying that he did it in order to meet the woman.

As the news of this strange attempt at courtship came out some netizens were reminded of an eerily similar case in 2013. The suspect then was also a man named Yoshito Harada who was 25 at the time and hailed from the same city as this Harada.

Assuming this isn’t a remarkable coincidence, this man was picked up seven years earlier for the exact same misdeed. In fact, during that arrest Harada’s lawyer remarked that he had probably done it about 1,000 times.

Harada avoided prison by compensating the few victims who came forward 30,000 yen each. He also agreed to certain monitoring measures such as a GPS tracker that his parents could use to make sure he was staying out of trouble.

It didn’t seem to work, however, and he was picked up again in 2016 after a victim told an acquaintance who also had her tire “fixed” by a 28-year-old man in the same way in 2015. This was the exact same situation that led to his 2013 arrest.

Legality aside, after about a decade of criminal mischief and the countless money spent on spare tires, sealant, and restitution, Harada still wasn’t able to hit it off with a single woman. In other words, his four-digit sample size was still to small to gauge the abysmal success rate of landing a date by slashing someone’s tires.

He was so prolific that over the years he had even targeted the same woman twice and, on at least two occasions, women who knew each other. Netizens weren’t exactly angry about the recidivist, just… disappointed.

“He really has no capacity to learn from his mistakes.”

“I wonder if his parole expired.”

“That’s like some James Bond stuff.”

“He must be really good at changing tires.”

“That’s just bizarre.”

“Maybe that was his endgame. He just has a fetish for women thanking him.”

“Maybe he should steal women’s bike seats and then when they are stuck he can swing by and offer them a new one.”

“I wonder if even he forgot that he hit the same woman twice.”

“Just talking to women normally would have been much cheaper, more effective, legal… does any of this really need to be said?”

Sources: Tokai TVReal LiveItai NewsYukoku Shakaito

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Fukuoka man arrested for licking the ear of a female stranger he fancied

-- “I want to be the street” — Man arrested AGAIN for hiding in drain to take upskirt photos

-- Kyoto man arrested after calling victim to apologize for assault

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

38 Comments
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Time to "retire" this guy to jail for a few years.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

Mental problems...

15 ( +17 / -2 )

He must be really good at changing tires.

15 ( +18 / -3 )

his parents could use to make sure he was staying out of trouble.

The guy is 43! How are his 60-70 year old parents going to control him?

3 ( +9 / -6 )

a tire company or a car repair shop should hire him if he really likes tires that much

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Tinder?...meh!

9 ( +10 / -1 )

I often wonder how can I meet women? Slashing their tyres has never been an option. I find saying hello is my level of meeting women, even then usually my tyres are let down (figuratively) think I'm running on 4 flat tyres.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Nothing says "I Love You" more than a slashed tyre.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

during that arrest Harada’s lawyer remarked that he had probably done it about 1,000 times.

Yes, I can see how that would help his defense.

19 ( +21 / -2 )

I drive everyday and understand the inconvenience of having a complete flat tyre. This repeat offender needs to be taught a lesson!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Given that his parents were invoved and the frequency of the acts, I suspect he has emotional or cognitive needs beyond the norm. I wonder if it's a physical or emotional desire to meet women? I hope he gets the help he needs.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Generally speaking, the only people who go to prison are the ones who can't pay their way out of it. Having a prison sentence has little to do with your guilt, and everything to do with your bank account.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

He should get a job at yellow hat

4 ( +6 / -2 )

All my cars have been 2005 or older and have had a spare, but many newer cars only have a puncture repair kit. My wife's car does. It is much bigger pain to have a flat with no spare. I guess it often ends in having to buy a new tyre, hardly the stuff of romance. For my wife's car, that's about 20,000 yen.

He should stand next to a puddle with a cloak like Sir Walter Raleigh.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

was still to small to gauge 

Which to isn't the right to?

Obladi,

The female victim is 43; Harada is 'only' 32. His parents could be in their 50s.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

He's pretty much consigned himself to being single now. Even if he meets a women in a normal way, sooner or later the tire slashing history is going to come up.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

my female friend's tire got a very suspicious stab to the side 2 weeks ago in Aichi, it could be the same man....

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Thirty-two and slashing the tires of a much older woman. Maybe he needs glasses, is EXTREMELY desperate, stupid, or all of the above. Needs to be examined by Sigmund Fraud asap

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

If she were an absolute stunner or were loaded (with money) he could also be forgiven.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Wholesale criminal damage, with 1,000 tyres already by 2013, yet the guy is still at liberty.

What are the odds that he'd be behind bars if these weren't mere women victims, but company vehicles?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

The creep should compensate them for all the fuss he's caused, stripped of his licence and car for life.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Another loser who can’t court women like a real man.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

So, will he be put away this time? Hopefully, he will be put into an institution where he can receive the mental help he is desperately in need of. He’s been doing this since he was in his early twenties

On the other hand, I’m actually a little curious to know if he scored with any of the thousand or so girls.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

On the other hand, I’m actually a little curious to know if he scored with any of the thousand or so girls.

The fact that he got caught yet went to back doing it suggests he must have faith in it as a pickup move.

I've read that Neil Strauss book and it was pretty depressing what he said worked. Dressing like Johnny Depp and doing magic tricks or talking about astrology or palm reading like a women's magazine.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is not a case of harmless property damage. he is leaving the woman stranded and isolated without transport. in the time it takes them to call a cab and/or JAF, he could attack and kill them. This is an act of aggression, and he should have been dealt with a long time ago. He is a potential killer, if not an actual one.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

At first I thought a nutcase.

then I remembered when I was young. A person deliberately crashed into my car in a supermarket car park. They did it to meet me explicitly. We were together for over 5 years after that. Material things are not as important as the emotional attachment that gave me 5 years pleasure.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

@Maria

This is not a case of harmless property damage. he is leaving the woman stranded and isolated without transport. in the time it takes them to call a cab and/or JAF, he could attack and kill them. This is an act of aggression, and he should have been dealt with a long time ago. He is a potential killer, if not an actual one.

I agree. It seems bizarre and even somewhat funny at first, but when you think of it, it's psychotic behaviour and could lead to something really sinister.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

This guy must really like cutting and changing tires. I'm pretty sure a job exists out there just for him.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

This man is a danger to women. He needs a very long prison sentence.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I feel bad for laughing at this "only in Japan" story.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

I am all for Nampa, but this is a bit extreme.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

"In other words, his four-digit sample size was still to[sic] small..."

No, not 'to'; his sample size was TOO SMALL.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Apparently he wants to play 'rescuer' or be a 'knight in shining armor' to these women. But he's destroying private property in order to do it. Can't this idiot find a less instructive way to accomplish that? This is totally churlish, bratty and irresponsible. And he's done it over 1000 times! Some of these women, at least are too smart to fall for these dumb stunts. One thousand times! There's some kind of personality crisis in this boy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

in the time it takes them to call a cab and/or JAF, he could attack and kill them.

Overreaction. He has done this 1000 times - if he planned on attacking them, he would have by now. Such repeat behavior with an obviously low rate of success does suggest something is wrong with him. But it's not fair to suggest someone is a potential killer without any evidence or record of violence whatsoever.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

He's pretty much consigned himself to being single now. Even if he meets a women in a normal way, sooner or later the tire slashing history is going to come up.

And then he will ask a court for the right to be forgotten... Newspaper articles about him physically removed, microfilms scratched out and this paper will suddenly have a blank area where this article was...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

*CORRECTION**

Apparently he wants to play 'rescuer' or be a 'knight in shining armor' to these women. But he's destroying private property in order to do it. Can't this idiot find a less destructive way to accomplish that? This is totally churlish, bratty and irresponsible. And he's done it over 1000 times! Some of these women, at least are too smart to fall for these dumb stunts. One thousand times! There's some kind of personality crisis in this boy.

'destructive', not 'instructive'

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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