Japanese pianist arrested for allegedly stealing flight attendant’s apron

A Japanese pianist was arrested for stealing a flight attendant’s apron from a parked All Nippon Airways plane in April, police said Friday.

Kazuya Saito, 34, from Tokyo, admitted to the theft. Police quoted him as saying: “Collecting women’s uniforms is my hobby. I have smelled them and worn them myself.”

According to his website, Saito has won awards at home and abroad and was a finalist in the 2009 Long-Thibaud Competition, a prestigious international competition for emerging artists.

A photo taken at a police station in Tokyo on June 14, 2024 shows a flight attendant’s apron confiscated by police. It was allegedly stolen by Japanese pianist Kazuya Saito. (Kyodo)

Saito was arrested on June 12 for allegedly stealing the apron of a flight attendant in her 40s from the plane’s galley on April 25 while the aircraft was parked at Ishigaki Airport in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, police said.

The arrest came after All Nippon Airways Co. reported the apron missing in April, police said.

According to police, Saito also said he stole the garment from an ANA plane in June. Aprons and nurse’s uniforms were also confiscated from his home in Tokyo’s Nerima district, among other items.