crime

49-year-old disqualified exam-taker arrested over refusal to leave toilet

39 Comments

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39 Comments
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Forget getting him to leave. Barricade him in there with no food or drink until he comes out on his own. THEN arrest him, and charge him a nightly fee to boot.

12 ( +19 / -7 )

At 49 you think he wouldn't act like a petulant little brat.

He is probably related to the fellow who refused to wear a mask on the Peach Aviation flight in September.

19 ( +22 / -3 )

"Japanese Male Pride"

What a joke.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

exam-taker arrested over refusal to leave toilet

Eh, if I have wifi, a warm clean toilet seat and a place to charge my phone, you WAIT till I binge my show first. THEN I'll leave your precious little toilet stall.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

"49-year-old ordered to leave the English exam he was sitting for, thus subsequently disqualified; then the tantrum based man locked himself in the toilet cubicle at the testing site for about three hours "

"that was his way of protesting to the wearing a mask correctly."

wow...

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Education minister Koichi Hagiuda on Tuesday supported the man's disqualification, calling it an "appropriate response" to improper conduct.

Proctoring these exams is probably one of the worst job in the world in terms of how much pressure there is. You make one simple decision to kick a test taker out for breaking the rules and it is national headline news for two straight days and even the education minister himself is weighing in on your decision. Even when you make the right decision its an insane headache.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

@Gwylly

"Reading this, however, has me thinking professional intervention might be in order."

Like a bright yellow straight jacket.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

49 year old child arrested.

13 ( +15 / -2 )

The man, whose name has been withheld, did not obey an order to come out of the toilet and a police officer was forced to climb over the cubicle wall to reach him, they said.

For what purpose did he take Japan's standardized university entrance exams after all? It was all for nothing!

3 ( +7 / -4 )

I expect he will be in some government position soon, he has shown the skills.

14 ( +15 / -1 )

I feel bad for the students who were seated near this nut case. If the proctors had to keep coming over and then finally kicked him out, that would just destroy your concentration. Especially if they were doing the listening section of the test. I know they would never allow them a do over, but it might be warranted in this case.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Just switch the lights off, ignore him and go home. He sounds bonkers.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

After being ordered to leave the English exam he was sitting, the man locked himself in the cubicle at the Tokyo test site for about three hours until his arrest around 10 p.m. Saturday, according to the police.

Thanks to police for handing this real nuts.

It reminds me of recent phenomena of "annoying Youtubers" who upload controversial video clips to gain audiences. Recording devices can't access the test site, though.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

He was going to fail anyway !

49 yo. His 32nd attempt

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Man, when I went on the keto diet and ate too many almond flour cookies I spent far more than 3 hours on the throne.

I hope this guy gets off, constipation is not a crime. . .

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Man, when I went on the keto diet and ate too many almond flour cookies I spent far more than 3 hours on the throne.

I hope this guy gets off, constipation is not a crime. . .

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I don't know about "professional intervention," this is probably what got him into this mental mess in the first place. The planet is littered with psychiatric failures.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

A single man causes a kerfuffle by refusing to wear a mask, and it hits all news shows and media sites for days.

Not hundreds of middle-aged males mind you, just the one.

We in Japan are SO lucky. There are plenty of worse places to be, with plenty of worse people.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

49-year-old man acts 4.9 years old.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

At 49 he must be one of those "eternal students", one of the "Can you use chopsticks?" guys.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

When asked how he felt he did before being disqualified for the exam, the man probably replied "I'm fine, thank you, and you?" in a robotic monotone.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Manchild of the week.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

There is a rumor that he didn't wear his mask over his nose because if he did, it would fog his glasses. How can this be verified? I've tried.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Not a news . Just an everyday part of life

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

"The National Center for University Entrance Examinations allows those who cannot wear facial masks for health or other reasons to take the exams in a "separate room" so long as they ask to do so in advance."

Maybe to him the toilet is the separate room. Maybe he needs CV19 tested ASAP.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A bit of compassion instead of cheap jokes and remarks for a man who clearly has mental problems would be more advised here

0 ( +4 / -4 )

A bit of compassion instead of cheap jokes and remarks for a man who clearly has mental problems would be more advised here

You're right and I am guilty, too, but, believe it or not, I also feel compassion for the Yahoos who were misled into trashing the Capitol and even for the crazed instigator who has always been his own worst enemy. Given the flawed evolutionary development of the amazing human brain, it can hardly be surprising that much of humanity suffers from mental problems so yes, the world is in great need of more compassion, but the crazy conduct of our primate species cannot be contemplated and borne without the tonic of humor and (guilty) laughter.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

"arrested over refusal to leave toilet"

"a police officer was forced to climb over the cubicle wall to reach him, they said."

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A 49 year old man, wearing his mask under his nose, and claiming "that is my way of wearing a mask correctly.". Huh, I see plenty of those on the streets and in the supermarkets way too often these days.

As for the nasty comments referring to his age: it's never too late to study, and no university applicants age should be ridiculed, no matter how old they may be.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Whether this was someone with a mental disability, like autism or Asperger's, or a petulant middle-aged man, it's sad. Sad in different ways, but sad nonetheless. These are difficult times, and we can all look forward to when this pandemic is dealt with.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Whatever university he was trying to get into almost certainly had a narrow escape. Imagine having him on your course for four years.

Once someone gets in, it is very difficult to force then out.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

A bit of compassion instead of cheap jokes and remarks for a man who clearly has mental problems would be more advised here

Agreed. Many comments here are cruel and thoughtless.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

A bit harsh on the part of exam givers in my opinion, Sure it is annoying to have to keep asking him to fix his mask but Japanese people have flat noses and unless they have a proper fitting mask it falls down past the nose and is not usually deliberate. In my case my mask rides up over my nose into my eyes so I am always having to fix it.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Whether this was someone with a mental disability, like autism or Asperger's, or a petulant middle-aged man, it's sad. Sad in different ways, but sad nonetheless. 

There really is no dividing line between what we call mental disabilities and just faulty personalities. It's all on a spectrum, and mostly is judged on how well each person functions in society rather than on their internal state.

Many on the autism scale are very high functioning - some are extremely successful (as defined by society). A petulant middle-aged man may be emotionally impaired, but doesn't get much sympathy for it.

I get angry and annoyed at people, like anyone else. But I try to remind myself that each person is facing their own struggles that we can't see. I also try to remind myself that we can learn something from everybody we meet.

It's not easy, of course. But this sort of story is quite heartbreaking in its own way. I can only guess that this man has suffered a lot in his life (at least emotionally), struggled a lot, mostly failed - and that this was a traumatic experience for him. Like you said, sad.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

A little childish for a 49 year old to be acting like this. He definitely needs some help.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Unfortunately::

"Yayoi Imamura suggests that this problem stems from inadequate psychiatric medical education and the reimbursement system of national health insurance. These shortcomings contribute to relatively poor care (and outcomes) for patients."

"They argue that further reform is blocked by the Japanese Association of Psychiatric Hospitals, a private industry lobby group that zealously guards its beds and profits. As a result, dysfunctional practices in Japan's mental health care system persist

ref: Japan times.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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