A Kochi Prefecture man has been arrested and indicted on suspicion of dressing up as a woman to sneak into the women's facilities at public bathhouses, it was learned Wednesday.
The suspect, 33-year-old company employee Eichi Yamamoto, was arrested at a public bath in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, on the night of Nov. 16.
He was wearing a wig, a blouse, a skirt and women's underwear, according to police.
He was also sporting red lipstick, they said.
Other customers complained about the man, believing it strange that he had covered the front of his body with a towel as he moved from the lockers to the bath.
A bathhouse staffer pinned him down and called the police, investigators said.
Yamamoto has confessed that he entered public baths via similar means in Matsuyama and in Kochi Prefecture on 17 occasions since April 2002.
He has admitted that he even soaked in the tubs, police said. He has never been caught in the act before, they added.
The suspect was quoted as telling police that he had acted out of his desire to see naked women.