A 16-year-old boy riding a minibike in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, was assaulted by two men who demanded cash.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 2:40 p.m. on Sunday. The boy told police he was riding along when the two men, who were also on a minibike, came up beside him and demanded he pull over. After he stopped his bike, the men demanded he give them cash. The boy was punched in the face by one of the men and knocked to the ground. The two suspects then fled without stealing anything.
The boy sustained slight injuries to his waist.
The suspect who punched the teenage victim has bleach blonde hair and appears to be around 20 years old, police said.
© Japan Today
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Vince Black
Some tough guys right here, beating on a teenager. Also, nice hair mate. Did you dye it yourself?
Disillusioned
Japan is developing quite a reputation for being the home of gutless punks, perves and bullies. I'm in my mid-50's and have lived in Japan for nearly two decades. I have never once been hassled by any of these punks despite hassling them a few times for being punks. Japan is a very safe place if you are a middle aged man. However, if you are a child, female or elderly there is no shortage of gutless punks ready to pick on you, rob you, rape you or kill you.
Strangerland
Of course there isn't a shortage - that would indicate a demand.
But there are very, VERY few gutless punks ready to pick on, rob or kill child, female or elderly people in Japan. On the contrary, it's extremely safe for these groups of people in comparison to almost every other country on this planet.
Luddite
What is a minibike? I keep picturing one of those tiny things a clown rides.
descendent
Really? You'd need to pretty naive to believe that. I assume you're taking official statistics as your source (correct me if I'm wrong). Other than murder, all of the other crimes mentioned have a low chance of being reported in Japan. Otherwise, your capacity for unomi stretches the bounds of credulity.
JJ Jetplane
@Strangerland
Didn’t a Japanese report, made by the Japanese, come out the other saying that less than 2% of rapes are reported? That sounds very safe for women.
CaptDingleheimer
Let's not forget they were riding doubles on a moped.
Super tough.
TigersTokyoDome
One answer - Sakai.
The number of times that town comes up on crime news on JT.
Almost certainly the roughest area in Japan.
albaleo
How many times is that? I don't recall it being mentioned any more than other places. But I'm probably biased as I've spent more time in Sakai than most other places in Japan.
oldman_13
No longer can anyone deny that while Japan may be safer than many countries, the old days of being able to walk safely anywhere at anytime are long gone.
William77
I always wondered why everyone think Japan as the safest place in the world,me being Northern European feel that my country is safer than Japan,especially for women.
Jocelyn Strob Simard
A minibike looks like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minibike#/media/File:Minibike.JPG
Jocelyn Strob Simard
Here in Canada it's pretty safe but I don't think a young guy punching another in the face and asking for money and then leaving would never be the suibject of an article in the journal...
Flute
The United States of America (and lot of other countries in America) have neither had the reputation to be the safest country in the world and obviously neither boasted about it.
Don't be lazy, read all the words.
I neither went there so I do not know. Good to hear than women can feel safe over there. Moreover if that is an accurate feeling.
I will put hypothesis regarding perception of women safety in Japan as partly, at least, related to perception of European men vs Japanese men. + the low rates reports.
William Bjornson
Haaay! American police departments are always looking for a few good prospects and it sounds like recruiting in Japan might be profitable for them! And bullying young people especially...
Luddite
It is a clown bike. Are these things legal on public roads? I've never seen one before.
shogun36
It's so cute when these thugs ride their little bicycles like that together. It's kind of like a first little date for them.
I wonder where they would have gone to, had they collected any money on their attempted robbery.
Daiso for stickers and candy? Or a Combini for some ice cream and potato chips.