Here at RocketNews24, we consider wasting food to be one of the most heinous crimes imaginable. Whether it be a 1,000 bacon slice burger, feces wine, or the most disgusting ramen ever, we always clean our plates or ask for a doggie bag.

And so it’s with heavy hearts that we bring you the story of a particularly disgusting crime. This suspect stands accused of buying, having his way with, and then dumping 208kg of potato chips in the wilderness, eating hardly any of them. As it turned out, this was all part of a bigger scheme to meet the talented voice actress and vocalist Nana Mizuki.

***Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of delicious snack wastage which some readers may find disturbing.***

■ 1,000 bags dumped

On 10 June, Hyogo Prefectural Police announced that they had arrested 25-year-old Ikki Fukumoto on charges of illegal dumping in violation of the Waste Management Law. They allege that Fukumoto had dumped 89 boxes containing a total of 1,000 bags of potato chips. This was done in thickets in six different locations around the prefecture including parts of Akashi City and Kobe City between 4 May and 23 May.

According to reports, Fukumoto would have looked like your average god-fearing snacker when purchasing the chips. Once taken home, however, the suspect allegedly would take a sharpened tool such as a knife or scissors to the delicate and shiny surface of the bag. Rather than consuming its contents, Fukumoto allegedly cut off a contest entry ticket and simply tossed the bag – delicious salty chips and all – aside.

According to police, Fukumoto admitted his crime saying: “I bought so much that I had trouble handling it all, so I threw it away.” So, he allegedly took the unopened bags and crammed them into tight boxes. He then would leave the boxes full of chips to rot in the wild, or even worse be eaten by some animal that could never fully appreciate the subtle seasoning blends created by the chips’ flavorologists.

■ Crime of Passion

Like many serial dumpers, Fukumoto’s reported motive was personal. All of the dumped chips were made by Calbee. This particular brand was running a campaign where the grand prize was backstage passes to a Nana Mizuki concert in Yokohama Stadium. Mizuki has balanced successful careers as a voice over artist and singer for well over a decade, appearing in anime such as Naruto and Full Metal Alchemist while also releasing several hit singles.

In the promotional campaign, 10 lucky Calbee chip buyers who entered the contest code on a ticket affixed to their bag would be able to meet Nana Mizuki after a concert. Another 777 winners would receive a NANACAN (a can sporting Nana’s image) and seven limited edition Nana Mizuki bags of Calbee Premium Poterich.

Entries for the contest have since closed and the contest webpage makes no mention of disqualification due to arrest. So even in the event that Fukumoto is found guilty, he still may stand a good chance going backstage. That also depends on him being out of prison by 3 August, which is when the show will be held.

However, if he is found guilty and wins the contest, it would only be fair that the suspect should have to sit down and eat every single chip before he can go while someone lectures him on all the starving children in the world.

Meanwhile, the remains of the chips have yet to be fully identified. Some are in such a sun-bleached state that only the bar code can be made out, but according to the contest website they are likely to the following flavors:

If you happen to have any of these flavors in your home pantry, please take them out remind them how much you love them. Then tear the bag apart and eat them.

Source: Calbee, Yahoo! Japan News (Japanese)
Images: RocketNews24
Video: YouTube – Kenji Neko