Foreign Tourist Arrested in Japan for Attempting to Drift in a Museum Parking Lot
A foreign visitor to Japan has been arrested following an alleged drifting incident that left tire marks across the parking area of a cultural site in Tochigi Prefecture.
Authorities in Tochigi announced the arrest of a 32-year-old Dutch national identified as Roy Witte, who was traveling in Japan at the time of the incident.
According to investigators, security camera footage recorded on June 15 shows Witte driving a rented Nissan Skyline based on the R34 platform around the parking lot of the Oya History Museum in Utsunomiya City.
The footage reportedly captured the vehicle sliding across the pavement while producing tire smoke and leaving visible skid marks on the asphalt surface.
Museum officials have stated that removing the marks from the parking lot is expected to require costly cleanup work.
Japan is widely recognized among automotive enthusiasts as the birthplace of modern drifting culture, a motorsport technique that gained popularity during the 1980s and 1990s.
Traditional drifting culture in Japan, however, generally emphasized avoiding inconvenience to others and was often associated with late-night driving on isolated mountain roads rather than public spaces used by families and tourists.
Many enthusiasts also pointed out that intentionally spinning a vehicle around an open parking lot is not typically regarded as true drifting within Japan’s car culture, as it does not involve using controlled oversteer to navigate a corner and requires significantly less driving skill.
As news of the arrest spread online, reactions from Japanese social media users were largely critical, including comments from self-described drifting fans.
Many responses argued that such behavior should only take place on private property with permission, such as dedicated racing circuits or motorsport facilities.
Others questioned the decision to perform the stunt in a rented vehicle, while several commenters expressed sympathy for both the museum and the rental company involved.
Some users also called for compensation to be paid for the damage caused to the parking lot surface and urged authorities not to dismiss the case without further action.
The incident has also reignited discussion regarding how Japan handles crimes committed by foreign visitors.
For many years, some non-violent offenses involving tourists were reportedly resolved through deportation or voluntary departure rather than full criminal proceedings.
However, growing public concern over an increase in arrests involving overseas visitors has led to calls for authorities to pursue such cases through the same legal processes applied to residents of Japan.
The case remains under investigation as authorities continue examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and any potential financial damages resulting from the alleged stunt.
Source/Images: FNN
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