A 39-year-old Brazilian man facing an arrest warrant for alleged theft and overstaying his visa leaped to his death from a 16-meter roof of an apartment building in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Tuesday evening, police said.
Frederico Sakamoto, who jumped from the five-story prefecture-run apartment building at around 8:55 p.m., lived on the building's third floor, the Aichi Prefectural Police said.
Officers reportedly went to Sakamoto's apartment around 11:50 a.m. Tuesday to take him into custody on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, in August and other charges.
The arrest warrant included an allegation that Sakamoto had violated the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
Sakamoto fled from the apartment via the balcony as soon as he heard a knock on his door, the police said.
He was spotted on the roof at about 1:40 p.m., apparently having climbed there using gutters and drains on the outside of the building.
About 90 officers surrounded the building, and from around 6 p.m. investigative officers remained a few meters away from him, trying to talk him down in Japanese and Portuguese.
Police quoted him as saying, "Don't come any closer!" and they couldn't coax him away from the ledge. According to their account, Sakamoto whistled and suddenly jumped from the roof.
Although police and firefighters had spread out 11 landing mats, he hit the ground where it was unprotected.
"This is a regrettable outcome," said Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, chief of Toyota Police Station. "We will scrutinize whether the action taken by the police was adequate."