THIRSTY SHOPLIFTER BEATEN DEAD

That'll teach him. Reuters says the shoplifter -- a man in his 50s or 60s -- stole two beers from a supermarket. The manager caught him in the act, dragged him to the back of the store, east of Tokeyo, and beat him before leaving him in the road:

A passer-by called an ambulance, but the man later died in hospital, the agency said.

"I never thought he would die," Kyodo quoted the supermarket manager as telling police.

Imagine the penalty for pilfering a six-pack.