A Japanese pianist has been arrested for stealing a cabin attendant's apron from a parked All Nippon Airways plane in April, police said Friday.
Kazuya Saito, a 34-year-old Tokyo resident, admitted to the theft, with police quoting him as saying, "Collecting women's uniforms is my hobby. I smelled it and wore it myself."
According to his website, Saito has won prizes at home and abroad and was a finalist at the Long-Thibaud Competition, a prestigious international contest for up-and-coming artists, in 2009.
Saito was arrested on June 12 for allegedly stealing the apron of the cabin attendant in her 40s from the aircraft's galley on April 25 while it 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 as missing in April, police said.
Saito has also said he stole the garment from an ANA plane in June, according to police, who added that they have seized aprons and nurse uniforms from locations including his house in Tokyo's Nerima Ward.
