Police arrested a 28-year-old man in Japan for allegedly hiding in a drain trying to take pictures up women's skirts.

According to reports, Yasuomi Hirai hid in a gutter 28 centimetres wide in the port city August, with his head under a piece of iron grating. He was caught when passers-by spotted his hair sticking out of the grate.

On Tuesday, Sports Hochi tabloid reported that Hirai hid in the small space for five hours, to take pictures from under the grate with his smartphone. Hyogo prefectural police in Kobe said they arrested Hirai after a lengthy investigation.

Hirai reportedly revealed to the police that he wants to be reborn as a “part of pavement in the next life”. Local reports claim Hirai has been arrested in the past for the same offence two years ago.

Peculiar offences like this involving the harassment of women and girls in Japan are frequently reported. In 2012, high school girls complained of a sock-stealing thief in a small town.