TOKYO--A Japanese man drove the wrong way down an expressway for 90 kilometers (55 miles) and broke through five police barricades because his cat had died, he told police.

Tsutomu Mizumoto, 31, was arrested early Wednesday on the northern island of Hokkaido, the Mainichi daily reported.

Police said they responded to an emergency call about 5:45 a.m. about a car driving the wrong way on a motorway near the city of Otaru. They spotted the vehicle 15 minutes later and pursued the driver, ordering him to stop.

Mizumoto ignored them and drove on, smashing through five emergency blockades and passing through a tollgate. He finally stopped at about 7:15 a.m. when police detained him.

"I was sad that my pet cat died," he was quoted as telling police. "I wanted to do something crazy."