Kanagawa prefectural police have arrested a 59-year-old doctor on suspicion of threatening a 19-year-old man on a train because he wouldn't stop coughing.
According to police, Masahisa Onomura, a doctor from Yokosuka City, is accused of pointing something like an ice pick at the man who was coughing, and telling him: "If you cough anymore, I'll kill you,” Kyodo News reported.
Police said the incident occurred on a train traveling between Kamioka and Yokohama stations on the Keikyu Line at around 4:10 p.m. on Saturday.
The two men do not know each other, police said. Onomura was standing, while the other man was seated and had coughed several times.
Police said Onomura has denied the allegation and quoted him as saying,"I didn't do anything like that."
© Japan Today
11 Comments
Login to comment
Hercolobus
So simple, get off at nearest station, then board the next train. Avoidance is best.
virusrex
The description on the article make it seem a really strange incident, since the accused was standing while the apparent victim seated it would be natural to expect that finding the cough irritating would make Onomura simply move to another place to avoid it.
As the article reads the victim did not escalate things, just that the police were involved (which would make perfect sense and it is desirable).
Toshihiro
To think that the guy's a doctor and should know that coughing is difficult to control. I get that hearing somebody coughing and sniffling in a perfectly silent train is annoying, but give those people some sympathy. It's not like they're doing it to ruin your day.
zulander
coughing I can generally sympathise. Its the fully voiced shouting sneezes that are just intolerable - if not outside or in your own house, please put a lid on it.
USNinJapan2
virusrex
I read that as advice to the accused.
virusrex
For someone standing close to another person sitting down, avoidance would not require boarding a different train, changing places where you stand would be an immediate and relatively easy solution. Depending on the train and the time (4:10 PM doesn't seem like rush hour) the person standing up can even change cars.
kurisupisu
So much information left out as usual with JT.
Were there witnesses?
Who called the police?
Did the doctor possess a weapon or not?
Why aren’t there cameras on trains in Japan as society here seems to be breaking down quickly?
iron man
A social media stunt to advertise a cough mixture! wait for it guys, which one is a renowned influencer...an ice pick to clamber onto a train, where are the laughter tears emoji.
tora
Can't stand people who insist on coughing and spluttering all over me on the train. If you have Covid or whatever, STAY home.
HiJapan
This summer I was in the green car on my way to Tokyo from Osaka when an older man in the row beside me began to clip his toenails. Guess he’s lucky this doctor wasn’t there!
ILoveDownvotes
To be fair, with heating / cooling the air gets dry and sometimes people will cough especially when boarding a train from more humid environment.
Doesn't even mean they are sick or anything.