Man allegedly had relationships with 35 women to get birthday presents all year round

How far would you go to receive presents all year round? For some, the answer appears to be “quite far”.

One Japanese man was arrested after allegedly defrauding 35 women by pretending to be in a relationship with them all at the same time.

Takashi Miyagawa, 39, from the Kansai region, in the southern area of Japan, apparently told the women that he had different birthdays – in a bid to get as many presents as possible for fake birthdays he made up.

He allegedly told a 47-year-old woman that his birthday was on 22nd February, and then apparently told another 40-year-old victim his birthday was in July. A third women, 35, was told by Miyagawa that his birthday was in April, it is claimed.

But his real birthday is actually on 13th November, police say.

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The total number of women who fell victim to Miyagawa’s apparent fraud currently stands at 35, according to Japanese news site, SoraNews24.

Police allege that Miyagawa received 100,000 yen (£667.78) in presents, including 20,000 yen (£133.56) in electronic money and a suit valued at 30,000 yen (£200.33).

He met the women while working for a marketing company, selling hydrogen water shower heads and other products, and local news sites reported that he also managed to sell them some of the shower devices.

“I don’t want to say anything until I speak with a lawyer,” Miyagawa said upon his arrest, according to the Tokyo Reporter.

In February, Miyagawa was eventually reported to the police after the women formed a victims’ association.