TOCHIGI (TR) – Tochigi Prefectural Police have arrested a 32-year-old Dutch national for allegedly defacing a parking lot at a popular historical site by doing “drifting” stunts in a rental car earlier this month, reports TBS News (June 22).
Roy Witte, a self-proclaimed construction company manager visiting Japan on a short-term tourist visa, is accused of property damage after leaving tire marks on the pavement outside the Oya History Museum in Utsunomiya City on June 15.
Witte was handed over to prosecutors on Monday. During questioning, he has refused to cooperate with authorities, telling police, “I will not answer.”
According to investigators, Witte rented a vehicle in Tokyo and drove to Tochigi Prefecture for sightseeing.
Police newly revealed that the suspect had actually gone inside and taken a tour of the museum. Upon finishing the tour, he returned to the parking lot, executed a single drifting lap, and drove away.
The Oya History Museum is a major tourist draw showcasing the area’s stone mining history. It features a sprawling, 20,000-square-meter underground quarry reaching depths of 30 meters, and was officially designated as a Japan Heritage site in 2018.
