Two men have been arrested on suspicion of stealing motorcycles to export them to South Korea, police said Monday.
The police said Yasushi Kusakabe, 42, and another man are suspected of stealing a mini-motorcycle from a parking lot in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward on Feb. 21.
The two men dismantled the stolen motorcycle in Yoshikawa, Saitama Prefecture, and put it aboard a South Korean vessel, police said. Japanese customs inspectors discovered 11 other dismantled motorcycles on the ship.
A 48-year-old mechanic, who has been indicted on charges of receiving stolen vehicles, told investigators he paid Kusakabe and the other man 470,000 yen for the 12 motorcycles, the police said.
New Zealand premier to visit Japan New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark will make a six-day visit to Japan starting April 11, the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
Clark will hold talks with Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Foreign Minister Yohei Kono about political, economic, cultural and other issues of common concern to the two countries. She will also exchange views with Japanese business leaders, the ministry said.
Clark is scheduled to visit Fukuoka, Auckland's sister city, as well as Hiroshima and Osaka, according to the ministry.
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