In February of this year, a 20-year-old man was arrested for vandalizing a wall under the elevated tracks of the Tokyu Railway in Meguro Ward, Tokyo. The same location had been the site of a series of graffiti incidents, and in January, local high school students had just removed the graffiti.
The man arrested on suspicion of property damage is Eiji Matsuura, a 20-year-old restaurant employee from Meguro Ward. Matsuura is suspected of vandalizing the wall under the elevated tracks of the Tokyu Toyoko Line in Kami-Meguro, Meguro Ward, on February 22nd of this year, using a black spray-like paint. The same location had been the site of a series of graffiti incidents, and in January of this year, students from the local Meguro Gakuin High School and Tokyu Railway employees had just worked to remove the graffiti.
According to investigators, security cameras captured Matsuura vandalizing the wall for about five minutes, and during questioning, he admitted to the charges, saying, “I drank alcohol and got bolder, so I vandalized it. I imitated the style of a famous person. I also vandalized Shimokitazawa and Shibuya.” Within the jurisdiction of the Meguro Police Station, approximately 350 instances of graffiti on utility poles and electrical panels have been confirmed by January.
The Metropolitan Police Department is also investigating the three people who were with Matsuura at the scene, including their possible connection to this graffiti.
