
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
Cup Noodle unveils first-ever cold-water instant ramen in Japan
Japanese government ID card and app to be required for certain Pokémon card purchases next month
Studio Ghibli releases new Totoro coin purses…but who’s the blue character?
Tokyo’s Giga Mart lets visitors “steal” from a convenience store… if cameras don’t catch you
Japan’s new Calpis pudding: The right call for summer, or tampering with purin perfection?
Hiker needs to be rescued from Mt. Fuji two times in two days, but system is working as intended
Can instant TKG from Don Quijote really recreate Japan’s beloved raw-egg-on-rice dish?
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]
Starbucks Japan adds shaved ice desserts to the menu at select locations
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction
Japan reacts to Donald Trump’s “Islamic Republic of Japan” remark
Japanese airport rebrands itself as “Sushi Airport” to attract foreign tourists
Three new starter Pokémon Jets to fly in Japan, first begins carrying passengers this month
Studio Ghibli theme park’s new dessert is a drinkable version of Hayao Miyazaki’s pilot daydream
Solid gold Hedorah kaiju from the Godzilla series is now available to pre-order
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Studio Ghibli store Donguri Republic announces opening of first-ever store in America
Japan triples departure tax, foreign tourists and locals now must pay more to leave country
Japan launches first overnight Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka this summer
Japanese sweets shop sells an ohagi so exquisite it sells out by noon
Sanrio Character Poll announces winners, Hello Kitty absent from top 10 in many countries
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
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
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