Japan's Dumbest Criminals 2002

Japanese have a reputation throughout the world for being polite. A trait, it seems, that event extends into the world of crime. A confessed Nagoya robber probably took the propensity for politeness too far when he returned to a convenience store he'd held up to apologize, but at the same time giving police time to arrest him.

At least he went through with the heist - another gracious bandit abandoned his hold-up before it was finished simply because he'd forgotten to wear the mask he intended to use.

Almost as dumb was the would-be bandit who burst into an Aichi Prefecture gun shop with a wooden sword and demanded a weapon. Although the shop owner fought him off without resorting to using any of his products, it's hard not to see the crime was doomed from the start.