TOKYO, JAPAN - A JAPANESE man who stole cash from a store by brandishing a knife turned himself in only five minutes later, saying he wanted to be punished, police said on Monday.

Ginji Aoi, a 23-year-old unemployed man, threatened a convenience store worker with an 18cm knife on Sunday in Osaka and snatched 79,000 yen (S$1,054) from him, police said.

But as soon as he was out the door, he headed straight to a nearby police station, an officer at the station said.

'He told police, 'I want to be caught because I did something bad,'' the officer said.

'He said he stole because he didn't have money, but he seems to have reflected immediately after his act,' he added.

Aoi is in custody as police consider whether to press charges, he said. -- AFP