TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a man after allegedly trespassed onto the grounds of the Imperial Palace on Monday, reports Jiji Press (May 25).
At around 10:20 a.m., the man, believed to be around the age of 40, swam across the moat near the Sakurada Gate.
He then scaled a climbed a tree-lined embankment and scaled a stone wall before entering the grounds.
Imperial Guards apprehended the man at the scene on suspicion of trespassing, police said.
According to police, His Majesty the Emperor was present at the palace that morning for rice planting. Police are now questioning the man in seeking a motive for the crime.
In 2008, police apprehended a male British national at the palace after he swam while fully nude in the moat.
In that case, the pursuit by police took 90 minutes. During that time, the British national scaled walls, swam in the moat and wielded a plastic pole as he fled from officers.
