Kintai Bridge biker arrested

An Iwakuni man in his 40s has been arrested for violation of cultural property protection law after riding his motorbike over Iwakuni’s iconic Kintai Bridge.

The man, a construction worker who’s name has been released (we have chosen not to publish it here), rode his 400cc bike over the bridge at around 18:40 on Friday, July 17 after the ticket gates had been closed. The act, which left tire marks on 322 of the 522 wooden slates that cover the 5-arched bridge, caused wide outrage. Police made the arrest on July 21 after checking through CTV footage of the incident.

The man has reportedly admitted to the crime and is quoted as saying to police, “He did a terrible thing by damaging Kintai Bridge”.

news24 has a blurry video on its site of the man riding across the bridge.

It doesn’t look like the most thrilling ride and one wonders if he was just frustrated and wanted to take a short cut.