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Kamen Rider Stuntman Applies Skills to Thievery

Yasutomo Ihara, a former stuntman known for his participation in the Kamen Rider franchise, has since turned his training to nefarious ends. In a story seemingly grafted from a J-drama, he was arrested on September 8 by Saitama Prefecture's Criminal Investigations Unit for 43 separate counts of theft. His method involved scaling walls by slipping his fingers into tiny indentations and entering houses through their second-floor windows, earning him the nickname "Spiderman" from the investigators. His targets were in the neighboring Saitama Prefecture cities of Warabi and Toda.

Ihara's career as a stuntman came to an end five years ago when he hurt his knee. Since then, he's pursued an acting career, but the costs of acting lessons drove him to shady means of earning a living. Ihara trained for his burglaries in a park during the day and could be seen biking around the area scoping out empty houses, earning him a reputation as a "tall, good-looking man on the prowl." Investigators traced his footsteps in the park, eventually uncovering some of the stolen items.

Ihara's crimes spanned the period from November 2013 to June 2014. He stole 6.7 million yen in cash (about $63,600) and 450 possessions, totaling 8.2 million yen overall (about $77,800). Factoring in his indictment, Ihara owes 8.9 million yen (or about $84,500). He admits to the charges.

Ihara's filmography includes Kamen Rider OOO, Kamen Rider x Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core, Kamen Rider W Returns, and Tensou Sentai Goseiger, another tokusatsu series.

[Via Yahoo! News Japan; Image from Ki-no Muku Mama]