Man irked by go-karting noise in Japan arrested for attempted arson

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Go-karting is a popular sight on the streets of Japan, with tourists dressing up as Super Mario and other characters as they zip around in the vehicles.

PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO - A Japanese man enraged by the noise of go-karting popular with foreign tourists was arrested on July 16 for trying to set fire to the motor vehicles, according to the police and local media.

The 28-year-old man was arrested on charges of attempted arson, Tokyo police told AFP.

The police said the man was suspected of setting fire to waste on the premises of a Tokyo company that operates go-karting tours in June, with flames spreading to its parked go-karts.

Nearby walls were also burned, but the fire was quickly extinguished, the police said.

Public broadcaster NHK quoted the suspect as telling investigators that he was “stressed out by the engine noise of the go-karts”.

His workplace was reportedly located adjacent to the scene of the fire.

The go-karting operator received a letter in May containing a threat to “set karts aflame if engines are turned on after tomorrow”, NHK reported, adding that police were probing a link to the arson attack.

Go-karting is a popular sight in Japan – the birthplace of Super Mario – with tourists, dressed up as the video game icon and other characters as they make their way through the streets of Tokyo. AFP