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Page last updated at 16:54 GMT, Wednesday, 8 October 2008 17:54 UK
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Japan police release naked bather

A man swims naked in the moat of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan
Police tried to chase the naked man from a rowing boat

Japanese police have released a British tourist who was arrested after swimming naked in the moat around the Imperial Palace in the heart of the Tokyo.

The middle-aged man jumped into the water, climbed the palace wall and splashed water at police who tried to catch him from a rowing boat.

The man then charged at police with a pole and pelted them with stones, during a chase that lasted two hours.

He was later released without charge after police deemed him "unstable".

Sacrosanct site

"We decided to hand the man over to his friend without charging him as we concluded that his act was based on mental instability," a police spokesman said.

A British embassy spokesman confirmed that the man was a British national, after earlier media reports that he was Spanish.

Local media said he claimed to have dropped a bag in the water which included his passport.

The palace is one of Japan's most sacrosanct sites and is home to their emperor and empress who are respected by the public.

Most of the palace is strictly off limits but the area outside is popular with tourists and residents who can walk freely around the moat.

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