This is far, far beyond mere irony

NARA — An elderly man arrested for driving a stolen car has turned out to be the famous author of crime prevention books, police said.

Mototsugu Taoka, 68, of no fixed address, has been jailed some 20 times over 40-odd years. His latest arrest came on Sept. 5 for driving a car stolen a few days earlier in Wakayama Prefecture.

Sources say he began writing books sometime around 1993, and one of them was published in 2001 titled, “All about robberies.”

The book describes his crimes such as the robbery of a cash delivery van and theft of a police uniform from a police station, and tips to prevent house theft.

But, it seems, Taoka won’t let this latest arrest deter him: officers quoted him as saying that he “wants to write another book.”