TOKYO, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Police in Tokyo said Wednesday they have arrested a man in his sixties on suspicion of aiming a laser pointer at a U.S. military aircraft flying close to the Yokota Air Base in the outskirts of the capital.
Police said they arrested Yoshinori Shigekawa, 60, for allegedly pointing a green laser beam at a C-130J transport plane at around 6:30 p.m. local time on Feb. 11 as it was flying in the vicinity of the base.
As a result of the incident, which can cause temporary blindness, the pilot of the transport plane with four personnel aboard was forced to abort the training mission.
The police said Shigekawa is alleged to have used the laser pointing device to disrupt the flight from a car park near the U.S. base.
Further investigations found Shigekawa to be in possession of five laser pointing devices at his home in Akiruno near the base, and the suspect is believed to have been involved in multiple such cases over the past three years.
Shigekawa admitted to first using laser pointing devices to target U.S. military planes three years ago, with police looking into his possible involvement in some 40 similar cases reported around the Yokota facility.
