Kazunobu Mineta, lead singer of Japanese punk band Ging Nang BOYZ, thrilled Taipei audiences on Saturday night when he removed his underwear on stage and showed his manhood to thousands of music fans at the Formoz Festival 2007 （野台開唱）.

Mineta was brought in for questioning by police on charges of public indecency in violation of Article 234 of the Criminal Code, police said on Sunday. "After the concert, we took him to the police bureau," police officer Tang Se-huai said. "Mineta appeared scared and nervous, saying he did not know he was not supposed to do this in Taiwan," Tang added.

The punk rock foursome performed at the 13th annual rock festival in Taipei from 8:10 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. Saturday at the Taipei Childrens Recreation Center.

Mineta, 29, began undressing when his band started performing on the Wind stage, the festivals largest stage. He was shirtless and covered only in black underwear by the end of the show, at which point he proceeded to pull his underwear down during the last song of the bands one-hour set. When the performance came to an end, Mineta bowed to the audience, said thank-you to the impassioned crowd, and dropped his underwear. Afterwards, he stood completely naked on stage for a full minute before putting on his underwear and retreating back stage.

"Some female fans were astonished, but males in the audience were thrilled and screamed," a United Daily News report added. The report said that police had to wait for Mineta at the center until 10 p.m. because the singer was busy signing autographs for his fans.

Gioia Tsai, promoter of the Running Ants Music Corporation, one of the main organizers of the annual rock festival, told reporters that some of its staff accompanied Mineta to the police station. She said that the group stayed at the police station until after 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, and that Japanese translators were on hand to help Mineta throughout the process.

"Mineta flew back to Japan yesterday morning," added Tsai.

If found guilty, Mineta could face a maximum sentence of one year. Lesser punishments include up to 120 days of detention or a fine of up to NT$3,000, according to the Central News Agency.

This is the second time that Mineta has dropped his pants during a performance. At outdoor music festival Rock, held in Japan in 2005, he stripped on stage before 45,000 fans. Japanese police referred him to prosecutors, but the case was later dismissed.

Ging Nang BOYZ is one of some 30 East Asian bands among more than 100 musical acts performing non-stop at the Formoz Festival 2007 which began on July 27 and finished on Sunday at the Taipei Childrens Recreation Center and the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium.

Ging Nang BOYZ established itself as a leading Japanese punk band with its distinctive music style, audacious lyrics and lead singer Minetas ardent performances.