Two U.S. Citizens Arrested After Trespassing at Tokyo Zoo Enclosure

Two American citizens were arrested in Japan on Sunday after one of them entered the monkey enclosure at a zoo near Tokyo that is home to Punch, a baby macaque who gained international fame this year. The incident occurred at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba prefecture.

Police identified the suspects as Reid Jahnai Dayson, 24, who described himself as a university student, and Neal Jabahri Duan, 27, who said he was a singer. According to authorities, Dayson climbed over a fence and dropped approximately four meters into a dry moat surrounding the exhibit around 11 a.m. on May 17. Duan allegedly filmed the act. Social media images showed a person in a costume, including a headpiece with a smiley face and sunglasses, scaling the barrier, which caused the monkeys inside the enclosure to scatter.

Zoo officials quickly apprehended the man, and neither individual came into direct contact with the animals. The two men were handed over to police and face charges of forcible obstruction of business, which they deny. A police official stated the pair did not have formal identification and initially provided false names to authorities.

The arrest follows a significant increase in visitors to...