So it’s Valentine’s Day, which in Japan means that girls give “obligatory chocolates” [giri-choco] to the boy they love, in the hope that their affections will be returned a month later on White Day.
In the past we’ve heard horror stories about girls putting their own menstrual blood in the chocolates they give to their Valentine, but this year a story has popped up that really pulls on the heartstrings.
A 67 year old man, who claimed to have never been given giri-choco in his whole life, has been arrested for stealing two bars of Valentine’s chocolate from a super-market display.
But is loneliness really a crime? Netizens don’t think so.
From Yahoo! Japan:
“I’d Never Been Given Any In My Life”: Man Arrested For Stealing Bars Of Chocolate
On Valentine’s Day, February 14, an unemployed man (67) from Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of theft for having shoplifted chocolate. He was apprehended at the scene by Itami Police.
The man is accused of stealing two bars of chocolate from the special Valentine’s chocolate corner in a supermarket in Itami City.
According to police, after the man had paid for other foodstuffs, he took the chocolate from the corner, which was set up near the cash registers, and put it in his jacket pocket.
In response to interview, the man admitted the crime, saying “I’d never been given any chocolate in my life, so I wanted some”.
Comments from 2ch.net:
名無しさん＠１周年:
今年一番悲しい事件”>This has to be the saddest incident of the year.
名無しさん＠１周年:
こんな物悲しい事件ありますか”>Could there be such a sad happening?
名無しさん＠１周年:
(´；ω；｀)”>(´；ω；｀)
名無しさん＠１周年:
･ﾟ･（ﾉД`）･ﾟ･｡”>･ﾟ･（ﾉД`）･ﾟ･｡
名無しさん＠１周年:
無罪”>INNOCENT!
名無しさん＠１周年:
これは口頭による注意だけにしてやってくれｗ”>Come on, just give him a verbal warning w
名無しさん＠１周年:
なんとなく被害者と言っても良いかと”>Somehow I think it is ok to call him the victim in all of this.
名無しさん＠１周年:
映画化決定！”>Coming soon to a movie theater near you!
名無しさん＠１周年:
俺が買ってあげるのに”>Aww, dude, I’d have bought you some!
名無しさん＠１周年:
67年生きてきて義理すらなかったとかあり得ないだろ…”>How is it even possible to live for 67 years and never get giri-choco
名無しさん＠１周年:
こんな俺でも毎年、嫁がチョコをくれるというのにこの爺さんときたら・・・。”>Man, even I get chocolates from my lady every year, but not this old guy…
Comments from Facebook:
Mako Komaki:
言ってくれればよかったのに。
と思ってしまった。
いや、知らない人ですが。
でも、言って貰うのは、違うんでしょうね。”>He should have said something.
That’s what I ended up thinking.
But I don’t know him, so…
And anyway, if you tell someone and then they get it for you it’s a bit different, right?
Eito Sasazawa:
犯罪は許されません。でも同時に可愛いと思ってしまいました。”>I disagree with crime. But at the same time, I thought this was cute.
Daigoro Suzuki:
僕はチョコレートが好きです。だけど、この日ばかりは、自分で買うことをためらいます。だけど大好きなんで、ちゃんとお金を払ってたべます。”>I like chocolate. But on this day only, I hesitate to buy it for myself. But because I really love it, I pay for it properly and then eat it.
Masashi Yamaguchi:
窃盗はいけない事だけどなんか可哀想な気もする;つД｀)”>Theft is wrong, but I kinda feel sorry for him ;つД｀)
コニャンコ センセイ:
ほんのチョコっとと言う気持ちだったのでしょう
年が７５ぐらいであれば
進駐軍の兵隊が投げるガムとかチョコをもらえたばすなのに・・・”>I kinda feel like come on, this was just a bit of chocolate.
If he’d been about 75 years of age, he would have been given chocolates and gum by the US Occupying Forces [at the end of WWII (1945 — 1952)].
大口 遊人:
チョコレートが貰えないより、窃盗で逮捕されるほうが空しい。これがわからない67歳男性。”>It’s much sadder to end up getting arrested for theft than it is to have never received any chocolates. This 67 year old man doesn’t get that.
桑野 厚:
67歳、侘びしいなあ。”>67, he must be lonely.
Takayuki Uda:
デパートの催事場で美人の店員さんから買えば、手渡しでチョコを貰ってるような気分になれるよ！チョコ好きな自分は今年もやったよ！”>If you buy it from the beautiful shop girls at the events hall in a department store, you feel like you’re getting chocolates handed to you! I did it again this year — really love chocolate!
平野 里美:
盗むのは絶対にいけないけれど何かやるせない気持ちになりますね。あげたのに。。。”>It’s really bad to steal, but this story made me feel really disheartened. I’d have given him some…
