Wanted Chinese fraudster nabbed on Japan mask buying trip

A Chinese man wanted for fraud in Japan has been arrested after re-entering the country to buy face masks amid the coronavirus outbreak, police said yesterday.

Zhang Zhiqiang was arrested February 2 when he arrived at Kansai airport in Osaka with an empty suitcase, the police said.

"I came to Japan to buy masks for friends who live in China," the 22-year-old was quoted by the police as telling investigators.

Zhang allegedly withdrew around 1.4 million yen (US$12,730) from an ATM with a cash card on February 20 last year that was stolen from a woman in her 80s in Osaka.

Curtailed supplies have made it difficult for residents in some Chinese cities to secure daily necessities as well as face masks.