
Geopolitics is way more complex than I thought.
At around noon on 30 March, someone in the Aoba Ward of Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, spotted a suspicious person rummaging through a parked minivan and called the police emergency number 110. Officers quickly responded and caught the man while he was still in the apartment complex parking lot and in the process of stealing the vehicle’s navigation system.
The 38-year-old suspect was arrested and questioned by police. During this time he admitted to the attempted theft, telling police, “What Russian President Vladimir Putin did was unforgivable.”
▼ The plot thickens…
Although the Russian leader has certainly been the focus of headlines worldwide, this was certainly a surprising confession by a would-be electronics thief. The owner of the minivan was determined by police to have no connection to Russia nor to the suspect, leaving his condemnation of Putin a bit of a mystery.
Readers of the news were also left puzzled by this person’s seemingly political motivation for stealing a car navigation system and expressed their confusion in the following comments:
“I have never not understood something as much as this.”
“Lol, what does Putin have to do with this?”
“The real weirdos always come out when the weather warms up.”
“Is this like a butterfly effect thing? Russia invades Ukraine and a car navigation system gets stolen in Japan.”
“Putin, how dare you!”
“This guy clearly watches too much TV.”
“I think it’s an indirect manifestation of his anger over the Ukraine invasion. Just like what Will Smith did.”
While it doesn’t seem likely that President Putin will be called to task for this crime, it does raise an interesting question of where police draw the line when looking into matters like this. For example, if he had said something about a neighbor motivating his crime they probably would have looked into it and maybe knocked on a door or two, but a call from the Aoba police department to the Kremlin seems unlikely.
Then again… Maybe that’s exactly what Putin was counting on in order to get his hands on some sweet after-market car accessories.
Source: Kanaloco, Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!


Attack on Titan car navigation system stars Survey Corps, a walled city and checkpoint giants
Even at twice regular Daiso price, this handy item is still great for summer travel in Japan
Japanese convenience store shows us how to dress for the rainy season
Kyoto public junior high school becomes first in Japan with a hoodie school uniform
Uniqlo reveals third round of massive 100-year-anniversary manga T-shirts for Jump’s Shueisha
Tokyo’s Pokémon Cafe reopens this month with brand-new sweets and Pikachu show
Tourists brave Typhoon Jangmi to queue at two famous sites in Tokyo
Japan’s sticker wars are reaching a breaking point, even for enthusiasts
Lawson opens a new mini supermarket, and the lucky bags can essentially stock your kitchen
Studio Ghibli adds new range of neckties to its anime merchandise store in Japan
Starbucks Japan unveils new Frappuccino showcasing “mottainai” culture
New official Ghibli anime food cookbook will teach you how to make Ponyo’s ramen and more
Japanese convenience store Lawson launches new “mini supermarket” chain, L Minimart
What’s up with the Ghibli Park photo and video ban?
Japan’s adorable pudding chick becomes a transit card mascot
Osaka is hosting a “hentai” event, but it’s probably not what you think
Starbucks Japan has a problem with its sell-out breakfast that might annoy solo diners
Pikachu cakes and other adorable Pokémon 30th anniversary food coming to Tokyo luxury hotel
Krispy Kreme releases a new Doughwich… at only one store in Japan
Tokyo’s life-size Gundam anime mecha statue will be removed this summer
Ichiraku Ramen-inspired ramen sets from Naruto anime pay homage to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura
Kanji ice cream becomes a sell-out hit in Japan
Japan now has gyoza doughnuts, and they taste like no other doughnut we’ve tried before
Japan’s real-world Pokémon hot spring’s first photos are here![Photos]
Japan has a new cute and clever sunblock for cat lovers
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events