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There’s just something about Japan and this strange obsession with stealing underwear. In the Naniwa District of Osaka, 20 types of posters are currently on display to promote a town renewal project for the area’s old shopping district, Shin Sekai Ichiba, or the “New Global Market.” Of those advertisements, one particular version has become the object of serial theft over the past 13 days. The poster contains the image of a man in a Japanese loincloth called a fundoshi. The Osaka Police Force’s Naniwa Station has released a damage report.

The posters were printed on B2 size (approx. 20 x 28 in) sheets of paper with a piece of cloth attached to the front, acting as the fundoshi’s front flap. Written on it was the witty phrase “If you choke it off at its root, then it’ll never grow and develop,” ambiguously referring to both the shopping district and that all-important piece of anatomy one would expect to find beneath a man’s underwear.

In an attempt to bring new life to the old shopping district, which has suffered many unfortunate shop closures, event planners enlisted the help of major advertising firm, Dentsu. This dedicated company of 39 young workers put together a plan to post up 120 posters all along the shopping district starting in July of last year.

According to officials, it was discovered that one of the fundoshi-brand posters went missing around April 10th, just last month. Over the next three days this same poster was removed from other areas as well. With the exception of one that was affixed to a wall with double-sided tape, the posters were all suspended from wires, which authorities have decided were purposefully cut in the process of theft. The culprit(s) are still unknown.

When asked about the incident, the copyrighter at Dentsu’s Kansai branch office seemed strangely pleased. “I’m glad that the poster is so popular that people wish to take it, but if they want it that badly, I’d really rather they order one from us.”

Source: MSN

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