Police in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 47-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of robbing a convenience store.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Fukuoka Hoso reported. Police said that Minoru Higashino, of unknown address, threatened an employee with a cutter knife and stole 12 grocery items worth about 2,700 yen.
As Higashino let the store, he told the female employee, "Call the police. Tell them I went to Washizuka Park.”
The employee called the police who arrived found Higashino on a bench in Washizuka Park and arrested him on the spot.
Police said Higashino told them he had spent all his money and hadn't eaten anything for five days.
© Japan Today
7 Comments
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Newgirlintown
Hard to judge the person without knowing their back story
Yohan
A crazy story, there are many simple jobs, paid per hour for a man who is only 47 year old to earn at least enough for his daily basic needs.
No excuse for threatening a female employee of a small convenience store with a cutter knife. This is armed robbery and not stealing.
Zaphod
Yohan
Taking 2700 worth of food and asking to call the police? Seems to me this is more an attempt to get accommodation and food for the winter, rather than a serious "armed robbery".
garypen
It certainly sounds like a "three hots and a cot" situation.
wallace
Did he pay for the call?
Yohan
To threaten an employee of a shop with a cutter knife while taking away something from the shop without payment is robbery, armed robbery.
This is not a very old man suffering of dementia, this man is 47 year old, unemployed. No excuse for what he did. What about looking for a simple job just paid per hour to be able to pay for what he needs?
Yohan
Might be, there are some people - and not only in Japan - who don't mind to be in jail instead looking for a job.
I do not consider this man to be a victim, but the culprit.
I understand what he did sounds somehow funny, but it is not funny, this is a crime.
We have to consider the real victim, the female employee, who expected payment from a customer for his shopping, but instead she was threatened with a cutter knife.