Love is in the air…but no air's in the tyre

The phrase “looks like you’ve got a flat – let me fix it for you” sounds like a clumsy pick-up line, and for a 25-year old Japanese man it may also turn out to be an expensive one. Our friend the Internet reports the tale of Yoshihito Harada, whose desire to meet women prompted a spate of tyre slashings in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture.

It appears Harada used a screwdriver or similar sharp object to slash the tyres of more than 1,000 parked cars. Tokyo-based news blog rocketnews24.com reports that he would then wait for women to return to their immobilised cars and offer to help. While changing the tyre he would converse with the women and exchange phone numbers with them. Police learned of Harada’s activities when two of his victims learned of each other’s similar experience. 

When questioned about the incident, Harada confessed, “it’s true, I did it.” Earlier this month he appeared before Nagoya district court, where he indicated that about 1,000 people fell victim to his love strategy.