American man arrested for urinating on another passenger on flight to Japan

I am sorry about the passenger that was urinated on but my family laughed hard at this news. Please excuse our heartlessness.

He was drunk and cannot remember what he did. Where have I heard that before?

Police said the suspect had consumed at least five glasses of champagne before the incident and told them he couldn’t remember what he did.

A reminder to the many posters here who believe "I was drunk and don't remember" is unique to Japan.

I wonder how the “I was drunk and don’t remember” excuse will fly when it’s a foreigner.

I wonder how the “I was drunk and don’t remember” excuse will fly when it’s a foreigner.

It doesn't fly with Japanese people, so I don't see why it would when it's a foreigner.

I’ve flown on certain flights from certain countries, the toilets are so bad. But ANA?

I wish more airlines would simply stop serving alcohol altogether. The vast majority of negative experiences I've had with airlines have been alcohol related.

"If you want to piss go to the toilet or you go to jail." A new notification on board ANA.

It doesn't fly with Japanese people, so I don't see why it would when it's a foreigner.

You haven't really paid much attention if you think it doesn't fly with the courts here.

You haven't really paid much attention if you think it doesn't fly with the courts here.

Say what? Show some examples where the court has let people off because they were drunk.

Doesn’t happen. You must be thinking of another country.

5 glasses of champagne, does that mean he was flying business class? Don't think economy has any champagne, last time I checked. 24, new jet teacher on his way over to start his new career? Might be a rather short career!

"The vast majority of negative experiences I've had with airlines have been alcohol related."

I'm a fairly frequent flier, and I've never had any negative experiences concerning drinking. My problems are screaming children, passengers beside me who intrude in my personal space, dirty toilets, and uncomfortable seats. Booze is one of the perks that make it more tolerable.

I have to agree with DaDude in a way. The first reaction is "what the heck?!" and then I laughed based on the mental image in my head (i.e. was the guy standing in the aisle when he did this?). Then you think about the guy that got the proverbial golden shower and wow.....that must have really, really sucked. So in the end...no...not funny but I get the initial reaction.

I fly a lot and enjoy champagne and wine on my flights, and then usually watch movies and sleep. After 5 glasses of champagne I am usually ready to drift off into my own little world and then to sleep. In most cases I have seen other passengers do the same when consuming. Luckily I have never encountered something like this.

There is a part of me that would be interested to get a follow up on this one. Would be curious to know if the guy lives in Japan and is returning, just moving to Japan, or a tourist. Then as a follow up if he lives (or intends to live) in Japan would be curious to see if this is sufficient to have is visa revoked.

Wild stuff!!!

Niiice...

Now tomorrow the tabloids will be running that an American whizzed on a Japanese guy. Wrecking our image.

"Sorry Charlie"; that excuse only works if you're a local.

@YubaruToday  04:56 pm JST

It doesn't fly with Japanese people, so I don't see why it would when it's a foreigner.

You haven't really paid much attention if you think it doesn't fly with the courts here.

Correct - the 'I don't remember I was drunk' or even 'I don't remember I was angry' excuse has been recognized as valid by Japanese courts for a variety of crimes.

Correct - the 'I don't remember I was drunk' or even 'I don't remember I was angry' excuse has been recognized as valid by Japanese courts for a variety of crimes.

Not that I've ever seen in 20 years. Foreigners keep repeating this, but no one has ever provided any evidence to back it up.

I'm open to being proven wrong, but no one has ever done it before, even when having this exact same discussion multiple times on this site.

Ok, can the fools who can't handle a few drinks PLEASE stick to fruit juice!

The airlines are already getting hesitant to keep the drinks flowing for those of us who enjoy a few.

I'm a fairly frequent flier, and I've never had any negative experiences concerning drinking. My problems are screaming children, passengers beside me who intrude in my personal space, dirty toilets, and uncomfortable seats. Booze is one of the perks that make it more tolerable.

Dunno where you're from jeff but incidents involving drunk & rowdy passengers are fairly common in Europe & oz/nz. Although I don't think airlines should stop serving alcohol I reckon there should be a 2-3 drink limit per passenger (and drunk pax shouldnt be allowed to board).

As long as it happened in international air space, all they can do, and all they should do, is send him back, job done.

I fly three to six times a year internationally, and maybe I'm lucky, but I don't ever remember anyone causing any particular problems from being drunk on the plane.

My guilty pleasure on a plane is a can of coke. That's as wild as I get. About the only time I ever drink any kind of soda.

"I was drink and don't remember a thing" has been repeated many times by offenders... but please show me an instance of it successfully being used to get someone off in court. I have my doubts that anyone can. Will happily accept it as fact.

I fly three to six times a year internationally, and maybe I'm lucky, but I don't ever remember anyone causing any particular problems from being drunk on the plane.

My guilty pleasure on a plane is a can of coke. That's as wild as I get. About the only time I ever drink any kind of soda.

I'd say you've been lucky. In saying that... so have I. I know from news reports there have been brawls caused by alcohol on some flights between Australia and New Zealand but I've never seen it or any other alcohol related incident in flights I've been on. As for my refreshments... Usually a whisky and dry... Only one... Maybe a beer... But mostly juice for the rest of the flight.

stupid American, maybe the legal age for drinking needs to be raised to 30

'He was drunk and cannot remember what he did. Where have I heard that before? '

Must not be his first trip to Japan...

@JeffLee,

I'm also a frequent flier too and I've seen brawls, people wetting themselves, people throwing up on others, and even been on 2 flights that had to make emergency landings because someone got so drunk that they were close to death. Of course, the airline called it a 'unexpected medical emergency' to make it sound like they had no responsibility. Crying babies and uncomfortable seat are always standard annoyances, but at least you'll get to your destination on time.

"I was drunk and can't remember" is often used in Japan as a defence as it avoids Mens Rea for the alledged crime.

I would say that right now, and for the next 22 days police will be grilling him to admit that he remembers, thus showimg intent.

Confession is everything in Japan.

RecklessToday 08:35 pm JSTnow I understand the origin of piss drunk.

'Pissed' = 'drunk'. That's the definition for the Brits and Irish.

Still, 5 glasses of champagne? Sounds like he may have been already trashed before he got on board. Whenever I've been on long flights we've had booze, and I've been 'blitzed on the bird' a few times myself. It's easy at such elevations, but we never had FIVE glasses of anything. FIVE? Come ON! He shouldn't have been that much on flight in the first place (if he was) and if he was so soused before takeoff, some flights wouldn't even let him on.

See, it's one bad apple like this that will spoil the whole bunch. When I sit on a plane for 14 hours, I generally like to have about 15 cocktails to pass the time. I'm a pleasant, mellow boozer on the plane. Dudes like this are just gonna ruin it and soon they won't let anyone get sloppy on airplanes.

I've got it down to a science: When the first beverage service comes around after the plane climbs to cruising altitude, I order a double Dewers and I hand the stewardess a $10 bill.

"Oh, drinks are free on international flights." is always the response.

"For your kindness" I say, and it becomes a tip. From that point on, my destiny is cemented. I shall not be known as the annoying drunk in seat 46C who keeps dinging the call button every half hour, but rather the friendly guy who tipped the stewardess $10 bucks. It's not a lot of money, but most people don't tip stewardesses so it pays dividends for the rest of the flight.

CaptDingle Your way might work on United or Delta or American, but it won't work on ANA or JAL, those flight attendants will not accept tips. They will, however, give you good service with a smile even without tips.

That's messed up. Does the guy forgive him, or take it to the max?

International flight - Xanax

Xanax + 5 champagne - blackout

I bet he really doesn't remember doing it. The bright side, is that the dude is still young, plenty of time to get his alcohol problem sorted out.

I think Strangerland is right. Many have this image that "I was drunk and don't remember" is some kind of valid legal defense in Japan because we hear it said so often. This is further reinforced because there are no laws against drinking in public places in Japan and the unavoidable drunken businessmen in the train stations. But I see nothing to suggest that "I was drunk and can't remember" is anything more than a statement often given by the charged, and not a valid legal defense in a Court of Law.

Alcohol should be banned in flights like they banned smoking.

Should put him in prison for long time without alcohol.

I suspect that there was a prescription medicine in the mix on this one.

1) Please stop referring to criminals, drunks, and sociopaths as "men."

Men wouldn't do such.

Just call them "males"; it's all they deserve.

2) I'm just wondering what difference it made

as to whether they knew each other!

3) At what point do airlines and airports stop selling alcohol?

What is the point of it? One multi-million dollar lawsuit

versus a $5 drink? Put the booze away, permanently.

Don't give idiots a chance to prove themselves as such.

I had a roommate in university who was a drunk pisser. He'd pass out, then wake up and walk somewhere and piss. Usually the toilet, but if he fell asleep somewhere other than his bed, he'd walk to where the toilet would be if he had slept in his bed, and pissed there instead.

And yeah, he was drunk and didn't remember as well.

When I sit on a plane for 14 hours, I generally like to have about 15 cocktails to pass the time.

Haha, I love this. Owning it!

I see nothing wrong with 5 drinks 15 drinks or even 25 drinks if the person doesn't cause any problems for those around them.

For crimes which require general intent, intoxication, aka drunkenness is NOT a defense.

Therefore the premise that "I was drunk, thus can't remember" is not a legal precept under Japanese Law, or any Law for that matter. Oyaji are not excused and/or excluded; only the gaijin ego would be.

The whole reporting of a suspect saying 'I was drunk and don't remember' is a peculiarity of Japanese police and reporting. It's not like this doesn't happen in other countries, but it's something the police report to the press when it happens, and it's something that the press then puts in articles.

People on JT have somehow come up with the idea that this gets the suspect off of any crimes, but that never actually happens.

Then they repeat it ad-infinitum, and other people read it and take their misinforomation as truth, and then you have people arguing it as truth, even though it doesn't happen.

Unfortunately, it's foreigners like this that give many of us a bad name. I just hope Japanese people don't hold it against all of us. I was there last year, and am going again next month. Obey all the laws, respect the culture, and be polite. You'll have a great time.

I agree with Strangerland. The often repeated claim that "I was drunk and don't remember anything" will get you off the hook is an urban myth. I've been here off and on for more than 25 years and have always been an avid reader of the "third page stories" (sanmen kiji) where incidents like this get reported but I have never seen a report on a court decision and sentencing where being too drunk to remember anything was the basis for acquittal or a reduced sentence. If anything such a claim made in the context of a DWI (driving while intoxicated) arrest is an admission of being incapacitated and may well lead to a harsher sentence.

All I am wondering is. How? and why?

Did he unzip right in front of him, took it out and started peeing? Did he surprise attack him? Was the Japanese guy sleeping? Was it a random attack? So many questions.

He has nerves of steel btw. Im having a hard time peeing when someone is waiting in line behind me, imagine in the middle of the aisle on a crowded airplane.

What a filthy moron. How would he have liked it if someone just came up and started pissing on them. Glad to hear this fool is arrested and will suffer the consequences, and hopefully perma-banned from the country. There is literally no excuse for such disgusting behavior.

I hope very much that JT follows this up.

Maybe you cannot eliminate alcohol on international flights, but a drink cap should be in place. Set the cap at two, and have cabin attendants assigned to the seat be the only one who can serve the person thus he/she could keep track or punch a ticket.

I agree with the fact most of the negative incidents aboard planes come from drunken passengers.

Set the cap at two

So you think the cap should be the same for a 1 hour international flight as a 15 hour international flight?

seated two rows behind him, so he skipped a row? strange incident, need more details.

Japanese drunk drivers and or drunks on the train are famous for this excuse.

Except that it's not an excuse.

He will fit right in in Japan, assuming they let him stay.

It’s curious that the culprit was identified by nationality. Why not just say “a foreign man”? For that matter, why not just say “a foreigner”? And further, why not just say “a passenger”? Ditto about the victim.

He may have a dicky prostate in which case hewould be able to claim,in his defence,that he suffers from Enuresis and is unable to control his bladder voiding.

It’s curious that the culprit was identified by nationality. Why not just say “a foreign man”? For that matter, why not just say “a foreigner”?

Because then we'd be left wondering where the man was from. And for that matter, whether or not it was a man, though a woman standing and urinating on someone would be less likely purely from a plumbing standpoint.

Ditto about the victim.

Because then we'd be wondering where the victim was from.

You do realize this is the news right, where they report stuff? And where people whine when not enough stuff is reported?

"Danish Plack" (24): does anyone have the correct spelling of the name of the suspect?

I'm still waiting for anyone to provide a single example of this:

the 'I don't remember I was drunk' or even 'I don't remember I was angry' excuse has been recognized as valid by Japanese courts for a variety of crimes.

Probably took some ambien along with his bubbly. Bad choice there buddy

Danish Plack" (24): does anyone have the correct spelling of the name of the suspect?

Japan Times August 20:

Denish Kishorchandra Parekh

Because then we'd be left wondering where the man was from ...

Actually, I was left wondering who he was.

The Japan Times gave his name as Denish Kishorchandra Parekh.

Heck that could have been me..... I've gone to bed pretty boozed and slept pissed on my bedroom wall. Woke up the next morning with a wet spot on my carpet.... at first I couldn't figure out where it came from. But it did have an odor. A couple of weeks later I had proof. I woke up standing in the dark of my room pissing on the floor. Apparently my mind felt it was better than doing it in the bed. Luckily those episodes were isolated to just a few times many years ago.... but I know of other people who've done the same. That might be what happened with him.

Without fail, it's often Americans creating the most drama, being belligerent, and disruptive when they travel to other countries.

"Without fail" and "often" are 2 different things. There is plenty of bad behavior to go around without falling into bigotry and stereotypes.

I am ashamed as an American too. I hope this person gets banned from flying for 5 years in non-emergencies (pleasure and work) in addition to serving whatever other punishments for this offence.

Why did it have to be an American...

But seriously, I've known plenty of guys in the Army that were so drunk that they thought they were pissing in the toilet but instead were pissing in their wall locker, their bed, the corner, you name it. I consider myself lucky that I never had a drunk roommate piss on me.

I doubt there was any malice involved, I figure the guy had no idea that he wasn't standing in front of a toilet, but that doesn't help the old guy covered in piss for the rest of his flight or the embarrassment I feel that another American did something to be ashamed of in another country.

It’s curious that the culprit was identified by nationality. Why not just say “a foreign man”? For that matter, why not just say “a foreigner”?"

Because that's how it's done almost invariably throughout the world; in my own country they'll report your colour, even if you're blue!

"https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/672735/half-of-British-rape-suspects-are-foreign"

Japan does not have to be the exception to the rule.

Sure! Had it been a Japanese doing the pissing on any foreigner, a report mentioning the perps nationality would be demanded by any "decent" JT expert!

Quality Assurance Engineer at Zimmer Biomet

Elkhart, Indiana Area

People Magazine reported his name as Denish Kishorchandra Parekh.

Belligerent Americans angered by stereotypes

Now there is a headline you don't see everyday.

I know some people who take sedatives before getting on a flight. If he took sedatives, and then had 5 alcoholic drinks, he might indeed not remember what he did. Still, what kind of fantasy is it to go around urinating on a fellow male passenger?

As the saying goes,"It's better to be pissed off than pissed on." I guess the poor Japanese guy was first the latter and then the former. Should have given the perp a couple of knuckle sandwiches to chew on before summoning the flight crew.

I am ashamed as an American too. 

Why on earth are you ashamed, Raj? Were you seated next to the guy and could have stopped him?

Even if this guy was trashed there is no excuse for him to piss on someone else. On top of that, sticking your rocket out to do it would be considered 'indecent exposure' in America. Did any kids see this?

MarkXAug. 19  05:17 pm JST

Story clearly says they were in business class.

Sometimes..well actually most of the time lately I am ashamed to be an American. Drunk and can't remember? No way not buying it.

"Why on earth are you ashamed, Raj? Were you seated next to the guy and could have stopped him?"

Because he is carrying US passport and is expected to try and not shame our country. This incident is not something that is unavoidable and I feel sorry for the gentlemen at the receiving end of this man's offence. If not ashamed, should I be proud?

Belligerent Americans angered by stereotypes

I don't see any Americans angered here, only ones who are embarrassed by the shameful action of someone from our country. Are we reading the same comments section??

Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89Aug. 21  10:17 pm JST

I am ashamed as an American too. 

Why on earth are you ashamed, Raj? Were you seated next to the guy and could have stopped him?

When someone from your country does something really really stupid, you're not embarased?

Dirty sod, hope he get nicked and fined, I think its only fitting to say the person who got wet, gets well compensated for his/her inconvenience.

I thought only Economy is a cattle call

Lo and behold Business Class is also a cattle call on flights these days

Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89Aug. 21  10:17 pm JST

I am ashamed as an American too. 

*Why on earth are you ashamed, Raj? Were you seated next to the guy and could have stopped him?*

OssanAmerica:

When someone from your country does something really really stupid, you're not embarased?

I’ve felt embarrassed by my own actions at times, but can’t recall just now when I was embarrassed by someone else because they were a compatriot.

Please explain why you feel embarrassed when someone from your country does something really stupid. Do you believe his improper behavior rightly reflects on you? Perhaps you have a stronger tribal instinct than I have - not trying to disparage you.

Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89Aug. 22  08:23 pm JST

Ike-in-Tokyo-from-89Aug. 21  10:17 pm JST

I am ashamed as an American too. 

Why on earth are **you** ashamed, Raj? Were you seated next to the guy and could have stopped him?

OssanAmerica:

*When someone from your country does something really really stupid, you're not embarased?*

I’ve felt embarrassed by my own actions at times, but can’t recall just now when I was embarrassed by someone else because they were a compatriot.

Please explain why you feel embarrassed when someone from your country does something really stupid. Do you believe his improper behavior rightly reflects on you? Perhaps you have a stronger tribal instinct than I have - not trying to disparage you.

Not worth getting into a discussion. Has mostly to do with an individual's sense of honor, nationalism (in a good way), pride in your country and the image that each of us present to the world. If this isn't your cup of tea then yea, you'll never get it.

@Ike

Because this is how countries get reputations. I don't like the idea that I might be walking around Japan while people are judging me because some random guy from my country pissed on an old man.

Because he is carrying US passport and is expected to try and not shame our country. This incident is not something that is unavoidable and I feel sorry for the gentlemen at the receiving end of this man's offence. If not ashamed, should I be proud?

I try to behave correctly. If someone else doesn’t, I may become angry and tell them so. I might even say “You should feel ashamed.” But should I feel ashamed? Again, no.

”If not ashamed, should I be proud?” Rhetorical I know. Why would anyone think you should feel proud? I too feel sorry for the Japanese man.

Not worth getting into a discussion. Has mostly to do with an individual's sense of honor, nationalism (in a good way), pride in your country and the image that each of us present to the world. If this isn't your cup of tea then yea, you'll never get it.

I’m glad you raised “honor”.

I try to conduct myself honorably as I understand honor as I believe you do. If someone else doesn’t, what should I do? Beat the crap out of him? Codes of honor in a number of cultures demand just that, or worse. If a stranger wants to generalize from the behavior of one oaf he’ll do just that because of ... what’s it called now ... confirmation bias? He probably won’t stop to think “The X-icans I know and other X-icans I’ve seen don’t act that way.”