Antics of 3 students at Universal Studios Japan result in charges

And these same punks would be blaming the park for safety violations if one of them had gotten hurt if their antics went awry.

Banning them isn't enough, some public service work, cleaning up trash in a bright neon orange jumpsuit with the words "I am an idiot" plastered across the back might be better!

What a trio of idiots. I wish their names were published.

are accused of repeatedly causing rides to be stopped by performing antics for the attention of other park-goers on multiple occasions from March 2012 until earlier this year.

when graduating?

when graduating?

Hopefully never! Seems to me that they need to go back to kindergarten and learn what they should have the first time around.

I understand playing pranks at that age, but not one's that put people's lives at risk. Their actions are a direct reflection of how their parents (not) raised them. Maybe Mom and Dad should get out there and pick up trash with them..hansei suru!

I'm confused. I read so many posts on here of people bashing the Japanese as lifeless, mindless, expressionless, etc. so when a few decide to stand out from the crowd, the hammer comes down from all parties. Geeesh! Lighten up

Ban from the park? Okay. Legal charges pressed? Okay.

A call to their uni asking the uni to punish them too? Not okay. Way out of bounds in fact. These clowns certainly deserve their lumps, but USJ should get hit with harassment charges for interfering in the private business of these 3 clowns, clowns though they be.

USJ also requested the boys be punished by their universities.

And here is why Japan has kids behaving badly. Why not ask the PARENTS to punish them? It is not a school's responsibility, more so at the uni level, to punish kids for things they do off campus.

What I don't understand is how they were allowed back in after their previous stunts. It seems stupid to let this go on for over a year!

Fizzbit, I agree in general on your comments. These kids remind of me of myself and all other similar-aged kids. We all wanted to have fun and be the center of attention without intentinonally wanting to hurt anyone. The article does not go into detail so cant really condone what they did but I am sure these kids were trying to have a good time and meant no serious or malicious harm, its what kids do!

when i was that age i mean haha!

What I don't understand is how they were allowed back in after their previous stunts. It seems stupid to let this go on for over a year!

This being Japan, I don't think they have much of a prankster problem. They probably don't have much a system for keeping track of pranksters. Also I can imagine the pranks escalated in severity. I think its good that Japan does not yank out the ban hammer so fast. Seems like these 3 had every chance to straighten up and have left absolutely zero doubt that they deserve no more leeway.

Are you serious? These "kids" are university students. Why are you blaming their parents? If they aren't old enough to be responsible for their actions now, when will they be? If you're going to blame their parents, blame their grandparents for not teaching the parents to be good...parents. Besides, students spend at least as much time at school as at home. Why don't we blame the Japanese government!!

You want to gain people's attention in a park? learn some skills and do some busking. Or heck, get a job there and perform. These kinds of 'pranks' could have gotten others and themselves hurt, and the park would be liable.

1) Asking the university to punish them would be quite normal here. 2) They are legally kids til they turn 20, so they could be kids AND university students.

@tmarie

"Why not ask the PARENTS to punish them"

I'm pretty sure punishment by their universities are more effective than parents. Since they can kick them out or suspend them. What are you expecting their parents to do ? Ground them for a month, spank them or good old time outs ? LOL

Since they want attention, publish their names and photos. The universities should expel or suspend them too.

Why are you blaming their parents? If they aren't old enough to be responsible for their actions now, when will they be? If you're going to blame their parents, blame their grandparents for not teaching the parents to be good...parents. Besides, students spend at least as much time at school as at home. Why don't we blame the Japanese government!!

I don't think I "blamed" the parents on this but why on earth ask the university to punish them? You know how often a uni teacher sees a student a week? Any idea how many students those unis have? They haven't been named so we can assume they are minors which means legally, they aren't adults. Not adults? Parents.

None of the schools mentioned will kick them out - students are not students, they are customers. Until these kids are actually charged with anything, they won't be given a punishment at all except not allowed to enter USJ. Oh what a punishment.

Goes to show that people are stupid no matter if their university is well-known.

They should have been thrown out and banned after their first violations.

Hide Suzuki

Suspend them? wonder what mischievous kids do when they are bored? Some community service would be nice.

Adults are representatives of any institution that they are part of, and in this case, as a university student, that is a direct and quite primary representation. The university has a role ..an important one, to teach not only knowledge but wisdom and deportment is a big part of that. No matter how smart or intelligent a person may be, if they engage in aggressive and dangerous activity in a public place they demean and damage the the reputation of not only themselves but that institution, no matter whether it is Japan or anywhere else. They should be placed on suspension, and given demerits that will accrue for more serious punishment such as expulsion should they engage in further actions such as these. I have never condoned so called "pranks" and even the use of a positive term to such dangerous acts is hardly good. There is a huge difference between harmless pranks carried on on campus and which harm no one, and dangerous ones in public that endanger others as well as the students. Time to grow up ..if not now. when?

you people are crazy...

These kids are stupid yes. but ruining their lives by punishing them through their university? craziness.

have them do some clean up at the park and be done with it.

If these kids had half a brain, they would get MTV to back them and sell movie rights to Universal Studios.

I don't agree with the fact that the university punishes students or faculty for their misdeeds in their private life, but that's the rule in Japan. I was a student, now I work at a university in Japan, and they always told us clearly about this. Do something stupid and we'll kick you out. A colleague of mine was caught with 0.08 g (!!) of marihuana and he was kicked out.

USJ Park cleanup for a year instead of any free time by the three seems a viable option. Jumpsuits could indicate they were foolish clods. Maybe their earnings could go to a kid's hospital?

This could be a very valuable lesson for all concerned. I mind jackasses when their antics could hurt others.

@FizzBit

I am all for being different and expressing oneself, just as long as it does not endanger people's lives, even if the lives may be their own!

Little boys

CrisGerSan - you summed it up perfectly in terms of the linkage between student actions and their universities. Also, not calling for them to be thrown out but given a punishment that lets them know not to do that stuff again. For their own safety and others as pranks like that may lead to competition to see who can do more & more crazy/risky things.

With charges filed, they are likely going to be on probation or removed from the school. It will be difficult to enter a new university with a record. Maybe they can start working on their Tarento careers?

Isoducky, that is not correct. My friend was arrested, was kicked out of school, but he took the exam again and he was readmitted. As a freshman, so he lost 2 years, but the criminal record is not an issue with the entrance exam. However, he is having problems with finding a good job because of that

I think, in some unis, if you get involved with crimes, you'll get dismissed. but I don't know about unis in Japan, tho. Do they do that? anyway, what they did are wrong and could harm others as well. there are many ways of attracting attentions. go to those talent office, or enrol in drama classes.

@Dennis Bauer

Agreed. Community service would be a good punishment for them.

Universities are too hard up for students, so I doubt that they will do anything significant. Suspending the students for a year and having them graduate a year late (or even a semester late) will ruin their job prospects for life, so no uni is going to go that far. There may be a slap on the wrist while their classmates give them high fives for their accomplishment. Too bad, but that's the way it is.

"What are you expecting their parents to do ? Ground them for a month, spank them or good old time outs ? LOL"

Yeah, that might be good for starters! Over the many years being here in Japan it is obvious that many young people are not punished, or should I say delivered effective consequences when they do wrong. From what I have experienced a good majority of my students get pretty much what they want at home. Many parents are not able to effectively keep them in check and when they start acting up in public, no one around says anything either. Now with all the kids hanging out inside the cool food courts at the shopping malls I see a lot of kids acting up and no one stops them. Just the other day during lunch right in the middle of a food court in a Shizuoka mall (Cenova), a group of wanna-be-cool high school boys lit a firecracker under a overturned food tray with a loud pop(!) and as usual not a word from the 50- 100 people who where there. Let me tell you I took pleasure in going over there and putting a little scare into them with 何やってんだよぼけたち！！！！！

Honestly, what are the real educational or career prospects for idiots stupid enough to stand up on a roller coaster? Some signs at the amusement park really don't require too long an explanation.

Timeon, drugs are one thing, things like this are another.

Suspending the students for a year and having them graduate a year late (or even a semester late) will ruin their job prospects for life, so no uni is going to go that far. I have no idea where you got this idea from. A year off will have zero chances of ruining anything for them. Plenty of students take a year off, travel abroad, study abroad... and it doesn't affect them. The issues of studying abroad is that students are not around when job hunting begins, not their time away from university.

Honestly, what are the real educational or career prospects for idiots stupid enough to stand up on a roller coaster? That's just it though isn't it? Pretty much any idiot gets into - and graduates - from university here because bums on a seat are more important than education and quality of students. Many companies are now complaining about the quality of new workers sucking and what do they expect? Many kids these days are spoiled beyond belief, they can't do the basic things like add without a calculator, speak proper Japanese, deal with not getting what they want when they want it and when they do something wrong, rather than expect their parents do something (and let's be honest, if parents WERE doing something we wouldn't be having this discussion) they expect the schools to do something. Schools can't and won't - bums on seats and monster parents - so we have a dumbing down not only of the education system but of society as a whole. Doesn't look good for the future of Japan Inc nor society in general.

unfortunately tmaire, these things happened everywhere. the quality of graduates these days are appalling, to say it in a mild way. if I own a company, I would not want to hire someone who would not think twice causing discomfort, let alone money and time as well as manpower, just because they are so itchy want to be heard by other.

and what do they mean by 'they had performed their antics for attention and were attempting to show off in front of the other park patrons'? they are university students, for heaven's sake! there are many positive ways of seeking attention and showing off, than doing stupid things like that.

Indeed it does happen everywhere but I don't think the quality of grads has dropped in other developed nations. Skills like spelling? Perhaps but overall I think you're getting smarter and more mature uni grads elsewhere. It is still a fight to get into many unis abroad and with unis wanting international students (higher tuition fees and all that), I think it is actually harder in many cases for western students to get it - between essays, volunteer work, tests and the like... Japan pails in comparison with regards to getting into uni here. Heck, go to the right private school here and you don't have to even do the entrance tests these days. Student know this, parents know this... Once you're in you're pretty much promised a degree. It's pathetic and so prevalent here that schools don't and won't punish students like these guys - and nor should they. The law should do that.

Um, I didn't write the other comment so perhaps direct that to the person that did?

they did it to show off so let the punishment fit the crime, embarrasing community work would be good and appropriate

These boys will never get jobs at major Japanese companies when they graduate... That's the way it goes in Japan, once you have a criminal record, you are done for life....no second chance.

The cops should charge then for sure but I question the necessity of asking their unis to punish them as well...their offending had nothing to do with their studies so can't see how their uni could 'punish' them..

It seems the Police also want to jeopardise their schooling as well...

Where is the criminal record??

Where is the criminal record??

"On July 10, the park’s operators filed charges with police, citing forcible obstruction of business." I guess they'll be charged and brought to court. As they've admitted the charges, they'll have a criminal record.

Being charged doesn't equal a criminal record.

@tmarie being charged means that there is a file with the suspects name on it.

I live nearby Las Vegas. They are lucky, In Las Vegas, one similar action will cause notorious Las Vegas Metro policemen to rush to arrest. If lucky, just arrested to go to jail. However, Metro cops usually shoot out if suspects move, claiming his cap looked like a gun, Just different culture.

A file with isn't the same as a criminal record. I mean really, you do not have a record unless you are found guilty of a crime. They haven't been found guilty of anything yet.

Omg, how did this not make the international news?...

"I am sure these kids were trying to have a good time and meant no serious or malicious harm, its what kids do!"

Really, are university students kids?. How about earn some okotsukai money from some rival company?

Let them to work there a janitor!