Genius Pianist’ Explains Motive for Stealing Flight Attendant’s Apron Inspired by Conan’s Ran Mouri

Pianist prodigy who has won prizes at international competitions

A trial was held on January 29 at the Tokyo District Court for pianist Kazuya Saito (34, at the time of his arrest), who is accused of stealing a flight attendant’s apron aboard an airplane.

According to the indictment, Saito is suspected of stealing a flight attendant’s apron from the galley (the kitchen area on a passenger plane) of an ANA flight bound for Ishigaki Island in April of last year. Saito has admitted to the charges.

“Saito started playing the piano at the age of four and went on to study at the Tokyo University of the Arts. He later graduated with honors from the Paris Conservatory and Berlin University of the Arts. A highly skilled pianist, he has won numerous international competitions, and he is married to a string player he met while studying abroad,” said a music industry insider.

Saito, who has semi-long hair that gives off an air of elegance, appeared in court wearing a navy suit and a polka-dot tie. He appeared quite nervous, nervously moving his neatly groomed eyebrows. During the trial, the defendant’s abnormal attachment to the apron was discussed. When asked about the reason he stole the apron, he said in a faint voice:

“I have an abnormal affection for clothing, and I have a tendency to view clothing as a sexual object. I was terrified to see the apron being mistreated in the galley and acted out of a desire to protect it.”

When prompted by his lawyer to speak louder, he repeated:

“I did not intend to use it for sexual purposes.”

He denied it.

Mouri Ran’s apron from “Detective Conan”

“I wanted to save the apron and keep it in my possession.”

He made a difficult-to-understand claim, and then added:

“When I was in elementary school, around second or third grade, I saw an illustration of Ran-chan in an apron and thought it was cute, which sparked my interest.”

He revealed that his interest in aprons began with the character Ran Mouri from the manga Detective Conan.

Later, after entering high school and starting to live alone, he began collecting women’s aprons, uniforms, yukatas, dresses, and other items via online shopping. According to law enforcement sources, 53 aprons have been found at his home.

The first time he committed theft was in 2019, aboard an ANA flight bound for Germany from Japan. After witnessing a flight attendant’s apron being carelessly placed in the galley after service, Saito stated:

“I felt like the apron had a personality, and I thought it was asking for help, so I stole it. I felt a sense of justice, thinking I was protecting it from abuse.”

He stated.

“Saito had previously committed similar crimes, and during his last arrest, he was diagnosed with object sexuality (a sexual attraction to inanimate objects) at a psychiatric clinic. He was receiving treatment, but he said he didn’t want to continue treatment because he believed that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to save aprons anymore. This incident occurred while he was on probation,” said a judicial reporter from a national newspaper.

 

Aprons for sexual purposes

At that time, ANA released a video announcing the renewal of their uniforms. Saito stated:

“I was terrified that the old aprons would be discarded due to the renewal. I wanted to save the aprons as soon as possible, so I started taking ANA flights frequently.”

As he continued stealing, he admitted:

“I developed an attachment, and at times I stole for sexual purposes as well.”

Distorted feelings began to emerge. When the prosecution questioned him about whether masturbation was the true intent, he explained:

“I didn’t handle them roughly or dirty them. I would place the aprons by my bedside and look at them, or wrap them in cloth.”

When asked if he had ever placed his penis on the apron, he firmly denied it, saying, “I absolutely did not,” and became visibly emotional.

Saito stated that he never felt any sexual excitement from women’s bodies and had almost no sexual relationship with his wife. However, he said

“She is a very important partner. Even without sexual love, I loved her. If possible, I want to restore our relationship.”

He stated.

“At the trial after his previous arrest, his wife appeared as a character witness and said she would watch over him. However, this time, she did not appear in court,” said a reporter from a national newspaper.

The crime of betraying his beloved wife once again is a deep one.