KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a man who broke into homes to fund trips around the country, footage of which he posted to the video-sharing site YouTube, reports TV Asahi (Dec. 7).
In October, Yasutomo Nagai, 28, allegedly broke into a residence in Tama Ward, Kawasaki City and stole 30 items, including a notebook computer and vacuum cleaner.
Nagai, who has been accused of theft, admits to the allegations. “I did this about 20 times,” the suspect was quoted by the Tama Police Station.
Nagai, a resident of Nagareyama City, Chiba Prefecture, has uploaded nearly 60 travelogues that he shot at locations up and down the country — from Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture to Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu — to YouTube. In the clips, he can be seen talking in front of a camera with a famous sightseeing spot in the background.
In one video, the text “Ladies and Gentlemen” appears at the bottom of the screen as Nagai talks in front of Sapporo TV Tower in Odori Park in Sapporo.
In checking Nagai’s YouTube channel, most of the videos have accumulated less than 1,000 views, which under the site’s current pay structure means an income under 1,000 yen per clip.
Police believe that the suspect broke into residences and sold the stolen property at second-hand stores to cover his travel expenses.
On November 16, Nagai uploaded a video shot in Kagawa Prefecture. By this time, however, Kanagawa police had already identified him as a person of interest. The following day, officers located him in the prefecture.
Thus far, police have accused Nagai in two cases. However, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectural police are continuing the investigation.
