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Back on Sept 7, Japanese airline Peach Aviation had to suddenly divert one of its flights due to an unruly passenger. The trouble started before takeoff, when 34-year-old Junya Okuno was asked by cabin crew to put on a mask, which he refused to do while demanding that the request be made in writing.
He didn’t become any more cooperative after the flight took off from Kushiro Airport in Hokkaido, either. When cabin attendants once again asked Okuno to put on a mask, he became belligerent, shouting and twisting the arm of one of the female staff, inflicting minor injuries. In accordance with Japan’s aviation regulations, the pilot deemed Okuno to be a safety risk, and so he diverted the plane to the nearest viable airport for an unscheduled landing so Okuno could be removed.
That turned out to be Niigata Airport, some 600 kilometers away from the flight’s intended destination of Kansai Airport in Osaka. Following Okuno being taken off the plane, which was accompanied by applause from several other passengers, the flight resumed, with its 124 travelers finally reaching Kansai Airport two hours and 15 minutes later than scheduled.
Even if Japan has a saying that “The customer is god,” there’s still a limit to the behavior that can be overlooked, and on Tuesday the repercussions for Okuno’s temper tantrum came literally knocking on the door of his home in the town of Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture. Doing the knocking were officers from the Osaka Prefectural Police, who placed him under arrest for his conduct onboard the flight.
Okuno wasn’t arrested specifically for not wearing a mask, but under the broader “forced obstruction of business operations,” a designation commonly used in charges related to disruptive behavior that creates an intimidating atmosphere in shops, restaurants, and mass transit vehicles. That would also explain why it was the Osaka cops who took him into custody, since Osaka is both where the flight was initially bound for and also where Peach is headquartered.
So really, Okuna hasn’t been arrested so much for refusing to wear a mask, but for being a jerk about how he did so.
Source: Mainich Shimbun via Jin, YouTube/僕はコジコジ【KojiKoji】
Read more stories from SoraNews24.
-- Japanese airline leaves passenger behind at rural island airport after he refuses to wear mask
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2021/01/21/man-who-refused-to-wear-mask-on-airplane-in-japan-gets-arrested-four-months-later/
26 Comments
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Paul Leonard
Isn't this the same guy who caused a commotion for refusing to wear a mask at a hotel's breakfast buffet?
SandyBeachHeaven
Isn't his uncle the guy that got arrested after hiding in the toilet for the university entrance exam? Maybe that info was on Rocket News.
Pukey2
Wow, the authorities worked really quickly.
kurisupisu
I have been on hundreds of flights without assaulting the staff- this guy was a ****
Ascissor
Isn't that the same guy who created excess malarkey by shooting his corona beam around Nagoya?
Chiba Semi-Lurker
Peach is now my favorite airline... I hope they trained their staff with basic Jiu Jitsu to escape twisting arm control.
BertieWooster
Why is justice so late in Japan? September the 7th? Last year? Grab him, try him, give him whatever punishment seems fitting and let's move on!
Tango2179
The little tw@t should have been charged with assault as well. Don’t put your hands on people without reason.
OnTheTrail
Glad you guys have reminded me that as the gaijin, better to not get in the mix. I am afraid if I saw him shaking around a female flight attendant, I would jerk him out of his seat and throw him off myself. Glad he has been arrested, guy is a menace.
TARA TAN KITAOKA
Very selfish person and ignorant too.
aomorisamurai
"When cabin attendants once again asked Okuno to put on a mask, he became belligerent, shouting and twisting the arm of one of the female staff, inflicting minor injuries."
Don't remember reading this part. He touched the staff? All bets are off at that point.
Lazarus Knows
Good.
shogun36
You da man Junya! You da man..............
Enjoy prison, I think masks will be the least of your worries now.
SandyBeachHeaven
Isn't this the same guy that flew the drone over the imperial palace? Looks like the same guy in the photo.
Carl N Jpn Gcjp
Good!
commanteer
This is clearly explained in the article.
Rob-3
I would have said "Certainly, just a moment" and then write on a napkin "Dear Passenger, Please wear a mask for the safety of others on this flight. Your cooperation is very much appreciated and thank you for choosing Peach Airlines!" and handed to him.
I assume he wore his mask the entire time he was in the airport before the flight? My guess is that he didn't and probably made a scene as well.
Goodlucktoyou
staying in a hotel at the moment and thanks to paranoia, no GoToTravel discount.
arrived in the town at 7:20pm to find that restaurants close at 8pm, last order 7:30pm.
i asked the staff what happens if we stay after 8pm? The manager said that, legally, they can’t force you leave. But...the restaurant has a right to ask you to leave, and can call the police and get you arrested for “obstruction of a business”.
luckily food arrived quickly and we left by 8:20pm. If we arrived in this seaside town 10 minutes later, we couldn’t eat diner after a 4 hr drive.
point is, people seem to freak out so much. How many times to you touch surfaces on planes, a lot.
noriahojanen
Yes. He's rather an anti-mask activist.
In the meantime, the "mask police" are also emerging, trying to warn even attack (!) people on the streets when they remain without mask or without proper mask use (It's not really the case for the test examiner, I want to defend).
indigo
the staff bothered and harass the customer and it turned out to forced obstruction of business operations. RIDICULOUS!