Japanese police have captured an inmate who escaped from a prison in Hiroshima dressed only in his underwear.
A nationwide manhunt was launched after Li Guolin, from China, who was serving a 23-year-sentence for attempted murder managed to break out of the prison in southern Japan.
Japan's judicial system is famously efficient, with the country's last escape from a penitentiary occurring more than 20 years ago and Li's break out the first to take place from the Hiroshima prison.
Following an extensive manhunt, police found the escaped convict, who had been behind bars since 2005, in Hiroshima city only two days after he broke out in his white prison-issued underwear.
Footage broadcast by NHK, Japan's national broadcaster, showed Li wearing a jacket and ski cap, believed to have been stolen, as he was escorted back into custody by officers.
It was on Wednesday that Li was believed to be exercising in the prison yard when he shed his uniform and used scaffolding to surreptitiously scale a 16-foot wall surrounding the prison, according to local media reports.
"[Li] fell on his rear and turned over. Then he ran off at a steady trot," one security guard who reportedly witnessed his break out told Kyodo news agency.
His escape resulted in the mobilisation of 800 police officers who scoured the streets of Hiroshima looking for the convict, as well as distributing his description to alert members of the public.
While Li was still on the run, officials advised residents to lock their front doors and bring their washing indoors, while children were also recommended to travel in supervised groups.
Li, believed to be a burglary gang leader, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2005 after he was found guilty of breaking into a house, shooting at a police officer and stealing a squad car.
Officers at the Hiroshima prison have apologised to the nation for the escape of the convict amid reports that a number of sensor-activated alarms were switched off due to on-going repair work at the site.
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