Police arrested an 80-year-old man on Monday for allegedly telling a security guard at the Osaka Expo that he had brought explosives in his backpack, which led to about 200 people being evacuated.
No explosives were found on the man, but an entrance had to be temporarily closed due to the incident. The suspect, Jun Noguchi, an unemployed resident of the city of Takatsuki in Osaka Prefecture, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing business through threats, the Osaka Prefectural Police said Tuesday.
According to police, Noguchi told a security guard shortly after 11 a.m. on Monday that there was a bomb in his backpack after he refused a bag check and attempted to enter the expo through its west entrance.
Officers searched the man's backpack after the guard called the police and found nothing dangerous. The expo’s west gate was closed for nearly 30 minutes, and approximately 200 visitors were evacuated from the location.
During questioning, Noguchi partially denied the charges, reportedly saying, “I didn’t intend to disrupt the expo’s operation. I was excited to be there and said it half as a joke.”
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