The man is suspected of stealing eight photo books of celebrities (total retail value of 34,760 yen) from a bookstore in Minami 1-jo Nishi 1-chome, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, around 11:30 a.m. on July 16.

According to police, on July 24, an employee from the store reported to the police, stating, “We discovered that photo books were shoplifted on July 16.”

Police reviewed security camera footage from the time of the incident and found images of a man placing the photo books into his bag and leaving the store without paying.

On the morning of August 23, approximately one month after the report, an on-duty police officer spotted a man whose appearance and clothing resembled the individual seen in the security footage and requested backup.

Additional officers arrived and conducted a questioning, during which the man admitted, “There is no mistake that I shoplifted the photo books.”

Police believe the man stole the photo books with the intent to resell them and are investigating the detailed motives and circumstances.