SHIZUOKA —

Police on Wednesday arrested a 45-year-old man for threatening to set off bombs in shopping malls in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, unless a local FM radio station paid him 20 million yen.

Masato Takato, 45, allegedly sent an email at 1 p.m. on Tuesday to Shizuoka FM, in which he said that he had planted bombs at shopping malls and supermarkets. According to police, he was found at the car park of a supermarket in the city at 6 p.m. after he was identified from his cell phone email address.

Police said Takato had no explosive items at the time of his arrest. He has denied the allegations, saying, “I sent the email by mistake.”

10 Comments

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  LIBERTAS at 11:03 AM JST - 23rd July

  And I thought all those heavily armed cops were checking bicycle serial numbers!

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  USAkuma at 11:06 AM JST - 23rd July

  Masato Takato, 45, allegedly sent an email at 1 p.m. on Tuesday to Shizuoka FM, in which he said that he had planted bombs at shopping malls and supermarkets.

  He has denied the allegations, saying, “I sent the email by mistake.”

  So he sends an email to the radio station saying something like 'give me 20 mil. or i blow up ZaZa City shopping mall.' by mistake? Who did he intend to send the mail to? Santa Claus? Normal people don't write crap like that. Hope they throw the book at him.

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  delitachan at 12:14 PM JST - 23rd July

  What a jerk. Toss him in the slammer.

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  buggerlugs at 12:54 PM JST - 23rd July

  Isn't this technically a terrorist threat? But "No", I hear you shout. Japan has no Terrorists!! or so I am told, the only terrorists are "Gaijin"...

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  thepro at 02:02 PM JST - 23rd July

  Was he stressed from work?

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  stanoue at 04:59 PM JST - 23rd July

  Hah - I would rather he fake bombs than run around crazily with a knife. And I have sent emails by mistake - the old hit the shift and return button when you meant to hit the shift and speech mark button. But that doesnt explain the content of the email or the radio station's address...

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  farhaan at 07:57 PM JST - 23rd July

  But why the radio station ?

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  bamboohat at 08:23 PM JST - 23rd July

  as far as sending emails by mistake, I read once where a guy sent a booty call by mistake via cell phone to his mom, so it could happen. Maybe it was to a friend as an inside joke, you never know. Funny how you only read the word "alleged" after getting past the headlines screams that he DEMANDED 20 MILLION YEN, and the first sentence saying he THREATENED to blah blah. big nothing, imo

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  romulus3 at 11:48 PM JST - 23rd July

  “I sent the email by mistake.”

  hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, ahahahahahahahahahaha! is that the alternative to the I was drunk thing Japanese have going on?

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  bushlover at 10:44 AM JST - 24th July

  Certainly Correct!! By mistake!! hahaha. with your own return address. how dumb!!! he was a mistake of nature..

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