On the morning of July 10, police responding to an emergency call in the town of Miura, about 30 miles south of Tokyo, found a bound and gagged man lying apparently unconscious next to a forest road. The victim, a 22-year-old Leading Seaman stationed at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, told police a man had attacked him, tied his hands, stuffed a towel in his mouth and dumped him alongside the wooded road.

Suspecting the man had been mugged and kidnapped, the police launched an immediate investigation into the incident. However, as the police questioned the victim, their suspicions began to grow when they realized he had suffered no injuries, his clothing appeared tidy, his hands had been tied in front of his body (as opposed to behind his back), and his feet had not been bound. As the questioning became more pointed, the man finally broke down and confessed. "My subordinates at work don't listen to what I say," he said. "I hate going to work, so I staged the whole thing."

Police later learned that the Leading Seaman had arrived at Keikyu Miura Kaigan station on the last train the night before he was found, and that he had walked north from the station for about a mile until he found a wooded area. There, he stuffed a towel in his mouth, tied his hands, and lay down next to the road. Bound and gagged, he perhaps even napped in comfort amongst the trees, knowing he wouldn't have to face his unruly subordinates at work the next day.

The marine officer was later admitted to a hospital for minor dehydration, and police are waiting until he recovers before they resume their questioning. The man may face misdemeanor charges for filing a false police report because he did not immediately confess the identity of his kidnapper.

[Source: Chunichi]