Takamatsu man arrested for car-bombing person whose parking method he disapproved of

Leaving a note on the windshield was apparently too subtle.

Every once in a while a case of “aggressive passive-aggressiveness” appears. This is where a perpetrator, instead of confronting the person they have a problem with directly, will resort to something even more drastic to get their message across indirectly.

Past cases include the restaurant manager who secretly poisoned his staff for poor work performance, and the head of a kindergarten who spit on a group of kids who were in his way. Now, a 27-year-old office worker in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture has decided to express his displeasure with another man’s parking style through the use of explosives.

On the morning of 8 May, a 56-year-old man got into his compact car that was parked in the lot of a shopping center and started the engine. Very soon after that, the front end exploded. Luckily, the blast didn’t appear to be too strong and only damaged the front bumper of the vehicle, leaving the driver unharmed.

▼ A news report showing the burnt asphalt left behind from the incident

When police arrived on the scene it was initially unclear whether this was simply an accident or foul play. After talking to witnesses and the victim, however, police were quickly led to the doorstep of Masahiro Mizobuchi and made the arrest that same day.

Mizobuchi admitted to the charges that he had planted explosives on the victim’s car overnight. He added that he was “dissatisfied” with the victim’s “way of parking.” It’s unclear what exactly it was about the victim’s parking style that offended Mizobuchi so much.

The victim reportedly lives near the shopping center where the incident occurred, which might suggest that he was using their parking lot overnight as his own personal driveway without patronizing any of the stores.

It still doesn’t really explain why Mizobuchi would be especially bothered by it, but it was an act that did bother some readers of the news online.

“Using explosives is wrong, but so is using a retailer’s parking lot as your own personal space.”
“I’m surprised they caught the guy so fast.”
“It’s a terrible thing to do, but in a way the shopping center was a victim of this guy’s parking too.”
“Jumping to car bombs seems excessive. Why not just punch or scratch the car?”
“This is literally terrorism, right?”
“I think I saw this in Yakuza.”
“Sticking a banana in the tailpipe would have been easier.”
“I don’t get it. Was he upset that the guy was parking in a private lot overnight? Someone explain it to me!”

It still doesn’t quite add up that the suspect was simply upset over the illicit use of a business’ parking lot. If that was merely the case, then a simple call to the police would have been far more effective, and more importantly would not have made himself a criminal in the process.

Sadly, I’m not holding out hope for a clearer motive to be reported. For eight months now, I’ve been regularly searching for an explanation about the guy who stole seven piano covers, and have yet to get any closure on that whatsoever.

Source: NHK News Web, Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
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