BEIJING,  (Xinhuanet) -- A Japanese man was arrested for hara**ing a food company by calling its toll-free number 500 times in 16 months, media reported on Tuesday.

    The 38-year-old plumber, who was arrested on Sunday, made 3,100 hours worth of free calls to the company, costing it almost 38,730 U.S. dollars in phone bills, a police spokesman in Takasaki, northwest of Tokyo, said.

    The plumber was quoted as saying that he wanted to hear the woman's voice on the automated tape.

    "He gets excited by the woman's voice on the guidance tape," the spokesman said, adding that the voice sounded normal to the detective who was involved in the investigation.