crime

Elderly woman arrested for beating youth sitting in priority seat of bus

169 Comments

A 60-year-old woman was arrested for assault Thursday after using her umbrella to beat the face of a male high school student who was sitting in the priority seat on a local bus, breaking the youth's nose and causing other injuries.

According to police, the woman, identified as condominium manager Tamiko Masuda, yelled at the 18-year-old youth because he wouldn't get up and vacate the silver seat. When he refused to move, she began to kick him and hit him in the face with her umbrella, according to witnesses. The youth suffered a broken nose.

Police said that Masuda has neither admitted to nor denied the charges, and that she has been warned before by police for hitting middle and high school students.

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169 Comments
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You go, gal!

Many a times I've seen people sitting in those seats on the train while those who needed the seats were left standing. The signs say the seats are for the physically handicapped, the elderly, expectant mothers and those carrying children. They should also add selfish idiots.

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Hahaha!!! Awesome!! Masuta-san is my hero!! Don't eff with her!

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Asking nicely should be the first move here. I can imagine an 18 year old reacting this way, even though he was in the wrong.

Neither person was polite here, and someone should have been.

Then you proceed to the righteous beatdown phase.

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Hmm most 66yr old I know are fairly spry and not NOT elderly. Not sure if she can claim entitlement to the seat. Doubt she is drawing a pension yet.

Now if she was 86yrs old = different ball-game.

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Let Ms. Masuda be remembered as the Bernhard Goetz of Nagasaki. Or maybe we could call her Madame Iron Butterfly.

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she has been warned before by police for hitting middle and high school students.

Wow..thats one tough old lady. She only got warnings for assualting other people before?? As much as I can sympathize with her, but hitting people for a priority seat or because of their age group is wrong. The cops let her violence continue with no real punishment and now some kid has a broken nose for it, AND because of the broken nose the cops will finally do their job. The cops/courts should have put a permanent stop to her behavior the first time. I place all the blame on the poilce for failure to protect the public from a violence prone loony.

Its the job of the train line to make people move out of priorty seating, but they to dont seem interested in fullfilling that duty...therefore leaving that responsibility to the public to work it out amongst themselves....to results like this. Cops dont want to do their job...the train line personel dont want to do their job = aggressive, violent passengers.

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Finally, more power to super granny. I am tired os seeing this sort of thing on the bus and on the train. I have had to ask a young woman to get up in a really loud way on one occaision, where, a poor old woman who could hardly stand straight was left standing. My intimidating height works for stuff like these.

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She should be given a medal by the Emperor for being a National Treasure.

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"Many a times I've seen people sitting in those seats on the train while those who needed the seats were left standing."

That's all fine and well, except, how do you tell if a kid sitting there has just had his appendix out 6 days earlier? How do you know whether or not the young lady is in the naseous 1st trimester of a pregnancy?

I wonder if the lady in this story has some temper issues. A broken nose seems a bit extreme. Early onset alzheimer's?

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Hahaha !!!! Beaten up by an old woman. This teenage boy will have mental scars for the rest of his life. That's a funny story.

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Great!

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Awesome!

I don't condone violence, but that idiot should'Ve given up his seat if he wasn't on crutches or something.

Don't mess with the obaasans in Japan, especially in the inaka!

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Young Japanese can be extremely stubborn these days. I'm not surprised he reacted that way.

I'm sick and tired of seeing younger people not offering their priority seats to the sick, elderly, pregnant, but attacking someone and breaking their nose is inexusable. If she is "genki" and capable enough to beat up a high school student like this, clearly she isn't in need of a seat in the first place.

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The article does not mention if there were other empty seats on the bus. Also, she must have gone off pretty quickly if the bus driver did not have time to react. I see just as many salarymen(pretending to be asleep) or young women in those seats. Mothers also put children (not infants or toddlers) in the seats and then the kid stands on the seat the whole time. Civilized poeple will give their seat to someone who needs it whether is silver or not.

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YAY! Good on her! The fact that the idiot refused to move justifies it even more.

@taj, I think you're reaching just a little. They keep you in the hospital for a minimum of a week for ANY procedure in Japan, so I'm sure with an appendix being taken out it's at least 10 days to 2 weeks. You have a point with the 1st tri pregnancy, but I think that could simply be verbalized and the same goes for the H.S. kid. If he did have his appendix taken out he could've said that.

I'm sorry, I just don't feel sorry for the kid. I bet you he won't be sitting in the Silver Seat anymore.

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Now bus companies and trains have to hang posters showing the old lady holding umbrella and saying something like "young bastards, behave or she will find you!"

Just for prevention you know...

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"家でやろう" has some stiff competition.

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If she is "genki" and capable enough to beat up a high school student like this, clearly she isn't in need of a seat in the first place.

Seriously. Violence is never the answer, even in the face of rebellious and rude teenagers. I applaud her for her spirit, but not for breaking a kid's nose.

Then again, that kid should have gotten up. The priority seats would not exist if they weren't supposed to mean something. Give up your seat next time, sheesh. I'm sure he'll jump up quickly the next time he's riding a bus or train.

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I'm sure with an appendix being taken out it's at least 10 days to 2 weeks.

It's a while ago now, but when I had my appendix out I was out of hospital in 5 days, but still pretty wobbly for a couple of weeks.

The priority seating thing should be abolished. Every seat is a priority seat.

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Every seat is a priority seat.

Actually I completely agree with that too. I mean, I get up even in "regular" seats if there's an elderly person standing, everyone should. But they don't. So it makes some sense why they designate areas, but if no one's following that rule, then really there's no point.

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I bet those other people on the bus were left speechless. Good for granny, I suppose. Although she may have taken it a bit too far.

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Well said "cleo." EVERY seat is a priority seat. I give up my seat to anyone in need no matter where I'm sitting.

Seriously, only a 5 day stay in Japan for that??? They kept me overnight for an ingrown toenail surgery and 8 days for surgery for ligament repair on my ankle. I guess I just assumed an appendix is more delicate than my ankle was...

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Best news I seen in a long time! I often see these high schoolers walk into a train flopping their shoes as loud as they can and without looking for other open seats make a bee line directly for the priority seats flop down and go into the pretend sleep mode thinking no one will bother them. Two thumbs up for Masuta-san. I nominate her for the position of Prime Minister of Japan.

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Hope she gets the same sentence as anyone else who attacks someone with a weapon. Shame on her.

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Good stuff! The bloody kid should have been arrested for sitting there. I have no qualms kicking the little trouts and telling them to move their donkeys, in fact, when my wife was pregnant and my kids were babies I did exactly that. I'm also not shy in pointing out the "turn off your phone while near the priority seat" sign to the school kids sitting in the seats with their faces pasted to their keitais. Everyone should do it! Go granny! Go!

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Is violence never the answer? Obviously I'm not advocating going around and beating the crap out of people who are out of line, but surely it has its place sometimes- as long as it's not overdone (breaking noses), and won't leave a mental scar on the recipient.

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If the granny acted like that in any other country she would be in intensive care about now.

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"Every seat is a priority seat." is a rule in my country. No specially assigned seats.

Said I have seen many Oba-chans(66+ same age as in article) get on a train, shoulder their way through the masses to claim 3 Silver seats for themselves and their bags.

Sorry, if you can do that you shouldn't be in a silver seat. And those ladies move FAAST and back a punch when pushing people aside.

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Some punks need to be taught a lesson. Hopefully, this puts the spotlight on the ill-mannered.

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LOL

Good on the old gal for giving the young pup a taste of her umbrella. Wish there was a youtube link on this...

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caffeinebuzz-- In cases where someones life is in danger (your own or someone elses), it might be necessary, but this was a kid and an old lady, and it doesn't sound like he was swinging at her or anything.

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I agree with Cleo. Make it all seats priority like the Yokohama subway.

Whenever I see an elderly person standing by the priority seats, I ask in a loud voice, "Sumimasen. Goseki mitsukemashouka?" so simple, yet effective

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I am with the old lady on this one. What is the point of assigning priority seats if NOBODY enforces it?. In fact NOBODY enforces ANY rule or law in this country. If I was a national, you bet your a I would fight for whats right. I would beat every punk a androgynous, underpants showing, bad 80s mullet wearing, 1000decibal scooter driving, 45 kilogram high school dip sh** in this country with an umbrella.

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Kudos to the lady on the one hand...on the other you are seeing a distinctive feature of this generation; they want what they want, and, dammit, they're going to take it. I love the bus story but am already bracing myself for the ruckus her generation is going to raise when society asks her generation to trim their welfare benefits.

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@Disillusioned: You need to see an anger management specialist man. Did you try asking them to give up their seat before you kicked them? The signs requesting people to turn off their cell phones says "we ask for your cooperation", it's not a law. A cell phone transmits on UHF and it harms nobody. In Singapore half the prople in the train are talking on their phone the whole time, you get used to it and people give up their seats to the elderly willingly.

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Elderly woman can be lethal!

that she has been warned before by police for hitting middle and high school students.

What's wrong with this boy? He is terrible!

Police said that Masuta has neither admitted to nor denied the charges, and that she has been warned before by police for hitting middle and high school students.

She should be arrested otherwise people will consider double standard for law. What high school students did was not properly well manner but is not illegal. What she did involve physical abuse which is punishable by law!

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I can't believe that there are so many people on here saying what this crazy old xxxxx did was good.

Not allowing someone to sit in a priority seat isn't a crime, it's just bad manners, and even if it was, beating someone until they bleed is called assault and a FAR worse crime.

She should be put in jail for a few months or a year or so, then she can sit down all she wants.

Idiot.

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She should be given a medal by the Emperor for being a National Treasure.

I agree! They should present her with the Emperor's Cup that they wont be giving at the next Sumo Basho.

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MrDog, you wouldn't happen to have your nose broken recently? Just asking...

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This old woman is wrong. her actions is overkill.

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Epic Umbrella Oba-chan?

Good on her, a lot more of them need it. Not a broken nose maybe but at least a knock on the head.

Just like the dipsticks that park their big scooters in a handicap (car) zone, stick their cigs in their (always open) mouths and text on their keitais.

Manners... we're in a huge slide because nobody says anything about it anymore out of fear of being verbally attacked (or worse) by the idiot breaking the rules.

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Sounds like they arrested the wrong person. The lazy bastard deserved it.

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Some thoughts:

Retirement age is around 60 - 65. What was the driver doing during all this? Priority seats are usually at the front, and he should have stepped in before it got nasty. Other people on the bus should've rallied around too. Absolutely the kid should've got up, rude little bastard. The woman should not have attacked him, she should've reported him to his high school. it really infuriates me when schoolkids take the priority seats instead of moving to the back; when they remain sitting in the face of older people; when the block the aisles with their massive bags, amking no effort to keep them close; when they do NOT move down the aisle of a crowded bus after being told to by the driver...

Good job I teach the kids who I see doing this regularly and can tell them off/ make them give their seats up, otherwise I, too, would take an umbrella to their offensive little backsides.

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she has assault on middle school children before? you think this is not a problem? a 12 years old girl maybe has bad manner so old woman can assault her? shame

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WHO was supposed to teach those youngsters Manners and Values. HER generation and their off-spring they raised.

Nuff said.

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If you're healthy enough to attack a kid, you're healthy enough to stand.

I faint if I stand too long, and start feeling bad after only about 10 or 15 minutes sometimes. If I get a seat, even a priority seat, I will not give it up. The glares from me, a 20-something, sitting in the priority seat are just the same as the glares I get when I crouch on the floor with my head between my knees.

If some jerk started kicking me or shouting at me (as you all claim you love to do), well, expect to get kicked back. I'd love to give up my seat for some old person struggling to stand up, but then I would become that person struggling to stand up. And NO ONE ever gives me a seat. So screw them. You can't just assume that young = healthy and old = unhealthy.

Just the other day I saw a guy who needed two poles on either arm to get around. No one got up for him. I would have, but as I said, I can't. And yet I couldn't help but feel like people were glancing at me (I was in a regular seat, but the older man was in front of me, facing the other side) as if I should be the one to get up.

I'm not saying the kid was in the right, but you can't just assume young people are all spry and full of energy and life.

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"Proud Nippon"... So what is your course of action?

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noir

hahaha, nice. But no.

I bet she's the same type who barge their way onto trains to get empty seats- waiting in line doesn't matter to them. Manners? Nah, I want to sit down so I'll bodycheck people. But, if they see someone in a priority seat, they get all picky about manners. What if the kid was feeling ill? I don't usually sit in priority seats, but if I feel ill I do. If a really old person or a pregnant woman gets on, I get up though, but still. What if the kid had a 40 degree fever and dizziness? or back pain?

Also, 66 isn't really all that old, and not automatically entitled to a priority seat in my book. She probably berated him at first too, making him even less likely to get up for her. Would you get up for someone who you thought didn’t deserve to sit down in the first place, and who was being an ass about it?

Oh, and “priority seats” are also called “courtesy seats” which means you are being polite letting people sit down. It’s not a crime. Hitting someone IS though.

How you can say “good on her” is a mystery to me.

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all i can say is this lady is lucky that the kid didn't retaliate and flatten the lady on her arse. The kid should have moved, but come on! Why didn't the bus driver say anything before this escalated?

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Anybody else reminded of that scene from "Star Trek 4" where Spock KOs the punk on the bus listening to the loud music and being rude?

The icing on the cake is the shot of Kirk nodding approvingly as he joins the applause of all the other passengers on the bus.

Hard to tell if I would join Kirk in applauding this old lady. Would depend on what the kid did to provoke her.

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Max1984. why ask me? not a police. she is arrested. course of action is fine

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According to police, the woman, identified as condominium manager Tamiko Masuta, yelled at the 18-year-old youth because he wouldn’t get up and vacate the silver seat. When he refused to move, she began to kick him and hit him in the face with her umbrella, according to witnesses. The youth suffered a broken nose.

Geez....I'd hate to pay the rent late as this womans condo complex. She'd snap, climb the ropes and give me a flying headbutt before trying the super granny chokehold. This woman obviously has an anger problem. I'd like to know if she actually asked him to move or if she BARKED at him to move. I'm not saying is it right to take up the seat but being asked in a nice manner works a hell of a lot better than being ordered to do something from someone you dont know.

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I really don't think 18 year-olds should be on the bus anyways. They should be separated from normal society.

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Manners...we're in a huge slide because nobody says anything about it anymore out of fear of being verbally attacked (or worse) by the idiot breaking the rules.

this old woman is the idiot attacker breaking rules. you are confused I think

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Interesting range of opinions here and good to see it discussed. One big thing going for Japan could be that its people have manners. Find myself agreeing with Cleo (like on most issues!). Every seat is a priority seat. Every time you offer to give up your seat it makes you and the recipient of the offer feel part of a caring society

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what is start age for assault? Is ok to hit elementary school if rude too? can hit over 60 if rude? Or only 18 year old? she attacks middle school CHILDREN!

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From the sound of some of these posts, it seem there should be free-for-alls for these silver seats. Grown men kicking kids so their wives can sit, old ladies assaulting school kids ( we don't know if there was another silver seat available or a normal seat available). Can a 72 year old man kick crap out of a 66 year old woman? He's older. What is the hierarchy for priority, Age before disability before pregnancy before small child accompanying?

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I really don't think 18 year-olds should be on the bus anyways. They should be separated from normal society.

I'd rather be on a bus full of 18 year olds than one with a bunch of old codgers. They're slow and some don't seem to have a clue about how to ride a bus even though I see them do it every day.

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they're both wrong and both deserve what they got.

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You're doing a great job of proving my point their proud... So she shouldn't have broke the kid's nose, fine. Now, what do YOU do about spoiled little brats flaunting their lack of manners and disrespect for society? Or are you one of them...?

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Laughing - Obviously a youth with a death wish. As anybody who has lived in Japan knows, you sign away your life if you get between some old gal and a free seat on the trains/buses. Indeed, I reckon there is a school somewhere where grandmas learn how to swing their shopping bags and elbows to maximum effect.

On a more serious note, although we have all come across young folks who could do with a bit of slap, laying into somebody and breaking their nose is pretty serious stuff. As a parent also, this history of beating up school-aged children is problematic.

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We are so ready to call such students victims, but actually they are students because they are learning. Is hitting OK to teach these lessons? Ya, I think so.

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Lady with Atomic power...!

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I don't condone what she did, but admit she did what most of us only DREAM of doing. Japan is disgraceful when it comes to following social morays like giving up 'priority' seats.

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GO GRANNY!! - I totally support this kind of violence. Maybe the idiotic punk learned something in the process. Hopefully she'll be out in no-time :)

I'm always amazed by the number of poor pregnant young Japanese MALES taking the train and having to seat on the priority seats...

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I am so sorry that this woman felt this frustrated and angry to do this. We have all seen this situation where the needy are left standing with their crutches to balance on or a baby in their arms throwing them off balance when the train pulls along and no one even twitches about their seat. I have seen high school kids take up three or 4 seats for themselves and their baggage and not give up a seat to any of the needy people nearby. I found the best technique is to take a pic of them saying that you are going to promptly send it to their school. This seems to work and they get their act together quickly :P

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Was he wrong? Yes. Did his "punishment" (a beat down that led to a broken nose) fit the "crime" (technically not illegal, merely bad manners)? Hell no. This old hag went overboard. If she wanted to cause a scene and have this punk move from the seat, she should have went and berated the driver into forcing the kid to move. Would he be happy about it? No, would he have complied? Most likely. Everyone here is too keen to side with the old hag, but she was clearly in the wrong on handling this issue. Not to mention the fact that she's a repeat offender. She clearly has some issues.

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Sakurala

It is illeagal to take someones picture without their consent. If the kids you are talking about had some brains, they would 1) let you go ahead, then press charges later, or 2) just get the j-cops on you there and then. You should be careful.

I doubt they have brains though ;)

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I found the best technique is to take a pic of them saying that you are going to promptly send it to their school.

Not saying that's a bad idea. But it seems to me too much is left up to the schools as it is and not enough being done by the parents and society as a whole...

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MrDog

It is illeagal to take someones picture without their consent. If the kids you are talking about had some brains, they would 1) let you go ahead, then press charges later, or 2) just get the j-cops on you there and then. You should be careful.

I doubt they have brains though ;)

I've heard that often but have never actually seen anyone getting hauled in for taking someone's picture (up-skirts aside...). Just where is this law written? And what does it say about security cameras?

Sounds kinda "gray" to me.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

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Cleo: "The priority seating thing should be abolished. Every seat is a priority seat."

I agree and disagree! If you notice the priority seats on buses are the ones closes to the entrance as to not have a disabled person need to walk around waiting for some one to "give up" their seat, the same goes for those on the trains they a re placed in car that are one closes to the exits and that match up with the floor markings for the blind (at least as best possible)

Where I come from we have had priority seating since before I was a child (front of the buss near the driver)

@DamoSuzuki; wrote:"If the granny acted like that in any other country she would be in intensive care about now."

Wrong; In most countries I have lived and worked in the driver or other passenger would have made whoever was sitting there move, the rules back home and in most large cities in NA and Europe are follow the drivers orders or be put off the bus!

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she must be an obatalion ! just because someone doesnt have manners doesnt mean you teach them manners by showing none yourself!!!

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People need to be more vocal with complaints in this society instead of saying simply, "Shou ga nai, ne!" I DON'T think that people should take things into their own hands as this woman did, but if more people complained (to the person, to the bus driver, etc.), you might be able to get around things like this. Just this morning I had a woman complaining over and over to me about how her neighbour feeds stray cats and the cats defecate in her garden, etc., and when she moaned about what to do I said to her, "Why not bring up the issue with your neighbour?" and she looked absolutely stunned and said, "Oh, I couldn't possibly do THAT!"

The old woman should have simply sat on the kid's lap if he refused to move, and wiggled her butt a bit to settle in -- that would have had him jump up quick enough, I'm sure.

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I know she was wrong to use physical violence. But I can't help smiling, it's just an amusing story.

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I wish we would see more broken noses so that the nation as whole painfully remembers that we live together in a community and not in isolated space, and that all actions do come with reactions ...

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One part Rosa Parks, one part Bernie Goetz.

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No matter how unjustifiable? This wasn't a reaction, it was an overreaction.

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smithinjapan, good idea and she could have insured he was off the bus like a rocket just by asking "Is that a wienie in your trousers or are you happy to see me?"

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I guess I'm in the minority here. Screw this old bag. She's not even that old. 66? I'd give up my seat for a granny who is obviously struggling, but c'mon she's barely "grandma" age.

Not only that, but she broke this kid's nose and "caused other injuries." What a lunatic. The kid may have been a selfish jerk, but that doesn't mean you get to assault him and destroy his face.

Lock her up just like you would any other criminal. If the laws aren't applied equally, what good are they?

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Well, now that he has a broken face he can sit in the priority seat without fear of reprisal. Perhaps this was her way of giving the guy a free pass to priority seats for while to come. Nice to see there is some spark left in some old folks.

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Wow I couldnt believe what I read in some posts here. Imagine your own mother at that age, tired and NEEDING her seat. The article says the boy refused to move. Anyone in her place would want to do the same, the difference is that she didnt only want to, she did! My mother is 65 although she looks younger, she has pain in her legs when she stands for a long time. It doesn`t matter what If you consider 66 old enough for her seat or not, she is considered an elderly person by Constitution whether you like or not. Ah yea and don´t forget that someday you´ll be her age!!

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Next time I'm about to get off a train, and a 60-ish year-old gramma tries to shove me aside to get on a moment earlier, I'm going to beat her face in with an umbrella and give her a broken nose. She was acting unmannerly, so she deserves it, right? I can do this with confidence, knowing that I would receive the same light sentence as the woman in the article.

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Awesome story. I hope she doesn't get too much of a hard time for this. Loser kid got his for trying to be cool. The fact that he refused an old woman after being asked really sours me as well. Only thing is, his parents should've done it first. There's nothing like physical scars to jog the memory.

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This is the best story I've read on Japan Today. Good on you old woman for standing up to this rude and selfish high school student. I wish more people would stand up to them. I'm often disgusted by their behaviour on the train and lack of respect for the elderly. The government should give her a badge so she can legally patrol the trains.

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The pensioner gets to ride the bus free. The kid has to pay. Give him a seat. The kid was probably tired out from studying for his end of term tests.Poor boy. This aggression should not be allowed to stand man. The cantankerous old crone needs to be put away for a long time. A hell of a long time.

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Age is irrelevant. Shouldn't people who are sick, injured or just friggin tired deserve these seats?

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Good on her. I've seen countless salarymen start pretending to be asleep in the priority seats whenever a preganant woman gets on. I can't help but ask them to move. They are priority seats for a reason.

What happened to respect and/or manners? It's almost instictive for me to give up my seat to an elderly person, a pregnant person... or most women.

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AFAIK, you only get elderly benefits(like free tickets) over the age of 70. Most Japanese around 66 are still happily putting in a FULL days work.

Recall a thread recently where many posters insisted that 66 is NOT elderly.

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The woman shouldn't have hit or kicked the poor young man, after all he probably has to stand on the train and/or bus every day going to and from school, and I'm sure he was tired.

Seriously though, she shouldn't have physically attacked him, the bus driver should have stopped the bus and ordered the kid to vacate the seat, and if the kid refused, the driver should have called the bus company or the police to get help in removing the kid from the bus, unless of course he was able to do it himself or with the help of other passengers.

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Imagine your own mother at that age,

Since my own mother is about that age, I can imagine it. She would be offended if someone stood up for her because she thinks that people her age are not "elderly", quite rightly too. My father is also a similar age, and still skiing black diamond and off piste runs. He also doesn't need anyone to give up their seat for him. A disabled person of any age or a genuine "elderly person", which does not mean 66, should be able to sit down. If that woman has the strength to injure that boy she was also capable of standing on that bus, so she should be charged with assault and punished accordingly.

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Just because people are old doesn't mean that we have to respect them. Everyone needs to earn respect by acting nicely regardless of age. If this old crone had asked the youth to move nicely , he would probably have had moved no issue. She is an irascible apartment owner who thinks she is above the law. Public caning is the only solution. I thought Japan safety country ???

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So called 'monster elderly' case

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I am with Apsara.

My parents and my sons grandmother are around that age too. Still healthy, doing sports, etc and living life to the fullest extent.

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I sort of have mixed feelings on this kung fu granny, I mean come on 66 yrs old a kicks kids ass!..She did not need that seat...she is obviously in good health!

But then I can just imagine the kid looking at her with defying glaring stares and half smiles ...you know teenagers!!! I can see how Mrs. kung fu could get upset...but not her first offense...she has been warned of this behavior before...she needs to be put in her place as well...can't have crazy old ladies beating kids walking the streets!

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Beelzebub: "the Bernhard Goetz of Nagasaki"

Well played sir. Actually, there is probably more of a parallel than we imagine. Bernhard was scared, so he shot first. This lady might have cracked the kid to make sure she made her point fast. Being nice and THEN pulling out the brass knuckles is sometimes a loser strategy.

Let's be thankful she did not have a gun like Bernie.

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Just because people are old doesn't mean that we have to respect them.

From where I come from, old people deserves respect, just because they are old. It's unthinkable to see teenager sitting when old people are standing. Even if the old lady doesn't say anything, people around the boy would ask him to give his seat to her. Just to see the hapiness and appreciation in old people's faces when you show your respect by offering your seat is enough to make you happy. I feel sorry for the society when youngs don't have any respect for old, and feel sorry for all you SOBs who think the old lady is to blame here.

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LUUUV IT !! If he was indeed a dead tired and/or sick boy who needed the seat, then I feel sorry for what happened. However, I'm inclined to think he was just a young punk and the "hammer of baba" was rightfully delivered.

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DamoSuzuki, you obviously have no intentions of reaching or exceeding the ripe old age of 66. What are you 12? Your opinion of earning respect is elementary at best. This woman is 66 years old, I’d say she has earned respect. And the high schooler 16-17 or whatever has probably been thinking on his own for 10 years at the most, which leads me to believe that is why he did not have the common sense to get up when she asked. Bonking him in the nose may have not been the right thing to do, but I bet it got his attention! That kid learn a lesson that day that his parents failed to teach him. Now maybe he will pass it on to his kids one day.

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Damien15.

So you like many other say it is ok to ASSAULT and INJURE someone for bad manners.

Sure don 't want to live in your world.

You must have been a model teen always doing the right things.

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It is entirely possible that the young man was trying not to hurt her but she definitely didn't have any thoughts of pulling her punches.

He should have moved obviously.Then the situation would have , most likely but not certainly, been averted but if it were my kid in that situation, I would be even more furious if he were to hurt a 60 something female attacker.

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@Damien15, she broke someone's nose dude ! She should have to go through the same system as the rest of us: 3 weeks in the police cells, handcuffed and dragged up to the police prosecutor's office. Held there all day with bread and jam for lunch. Bollocked by the public prosecutor. A go-between from her side should offer the kid a nice sum of money as a token of sorrow. Then she is let out after 3 weeks in the cells. She will bloody well think twice about GBH again. Broke his nose, probably blood was shed: Shogai bouryoko jikken.

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Sometimes I travel to work for 1 hour or more. I want to sit down. I disagree with cleo that all seats being a priority seat It depends on the situation. Sometimes on the train there are just to many old people. Everybody pays for the seat. The train company should offer a "Senior citizen only" car. Just like they do for "women only" cars.

In my experience, i had one open seat next to me. Nobody wanted to sit next to me. Am I supposed to get up and stand for 1 hour because they are afraid to sit next to me ???? Sometimes old people are picky !!! Some old people are afraid of foreigners or afraid to sit next to one. What am i supposed to do ?

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@Damien15, I'm more inclined to feel sorry for you if you think bad manners are justified by physical violence to the point of broken bones.

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Elders are to be respected, but hence...elders are expected to be respectful as well..respect has nothing to do with age..ppl in general should be respected and shown respect in return..

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I see alot of old people including senior citizens give up there chair for a 3 or 4 year old kids on the train and bus. And usually the mother takes the kids shoes off and the kid jumps up and down on the seat and acts wild on the silver seats, while senior citizens standing around looking at the kid with a smile. But I can tell they are exhausted !!!! Should I intrude and tell the mothers this is wrong behavior ?

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there is no rule that says he has to give up his seat, and we dont know, he might have a sickness needing him to sit down,,, i look perfectly healthy but have fibromyalgia and osteoporosis, and im 30

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Should I intrude and tell the mothers this is wrong behavior ?

yes, you should interfere. Children should know from early age that they should help elderly people.

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I do not know if this teenager was sick or not ? Or just plan lazy. But kids here do not have any common sense or manners. Because the parents d not teach them this. Schools do teach the children dramtic scenarios.

I've seen it during a school assembly many a time.

no, because i would be labeled the " strange gajin ".And usually that's the time when Japanese people don't understand my nihongo !!!!

Hey, I don't enforce my western values here in Japan. I just observe. That's backwards thinking !!!! Why do grandmothers carry 2 year old or 3 year old on their backs when they are almost about to fall down ? Because child are revered in this country and more valued than the elderly.

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she is my hero. Japanese people have no empathy and only respond to brute force.

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Japanese people have no empathy and only respond to brute force.

Sorry bobbafett, but you and I obviously do not live in the same Japan.

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Maybe this will be the Rosa Parks for the priority seat movement :D

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Interesting to see how many commentators here are in favor of beating and physical assault. Since it is illegal, then there isnt so much to discuss actually. But a complaint could be made to the bus driver and he should have gone and told the boy to move. Vigilante justice for something as stupid as a bus seat is not acceptable. They teenager boy may or may not have been a punk, but it is actually not illegal to stay seated even though its a priority seat. And in generel in Japan, many young and middleaged people do sit on the priority seats. Many elderly people even refuse to be given a seat when i offer them one cause many are in excellent health and dont want to seem weak.

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morriconelover: "Interesting to see how many commentators here are in favor of beating and physical assault. Since it is illegal, then there isnt so much to discuss actually."

As I and others have said, you are correct that what the woman did is not appropriate, but try not to be confused; most people who voice their approval are not condoning what the woman did, just that she had the guts to 'speak out' instead of standing and suffering at the hands of some teenage tool who is too self-satisfied to help others. I offered my seat to an elderly woman just this afternoon and saw a whole lot of the people seated around me suddenly pretend to be asleep. Action is the key, but action by good example is of course better than what this woman did.

That being said, I think that people like bus drivers and train conductors could perhaps do a little more in this respect. I have seen a number of drivers of late taking more care to wait until an elderly person is seated, for example, before stepping on the gas pedal, and I even saw last week a bus driver get out to help a woman bring her baby stroller onto the bus. Maybe they could switch on the hazard lights, step out of the driver's seat, and tell jack-a$$es like this kid to get up and give up their seat.

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According to the news report I just saw, the kid got up and she attacked him. It included her poking him with the tip of her umbrella. If I was the boy, I'd sue. A reprimand is one thing, but an outright attack like this is uncalled for.

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I used to regularly try to get up for elderly people but most of them turn in disdain upon seeing me so now I don't get up at all. Even if the seat next to me is unoccupied 95 percent of them won't sit there. I find the majority of older people (especially older women), when they are in a group, to be extremely loud and rude when taking public transportation. I hope she gets sentenced to the same amount of time he would have gotten had the situation been reversed.

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No young healthy person should ever be sitting in a priority seat in the first place. When I give up my seat in other sections, I pretend I'm getting off so the elderly person will willingly sit down.

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so I'm sure with an appendix being taken out it's at least 10 days to 2 weeks.

It still is 5 days as Cleo said-my friend had hers out last month.

This is a great story and I am glad the kid got what was coming to him IF he was obnoxious and rude BUT - I get the distinct impression here given this womans history and that she was physicaaly able to beat up this kid that a) she didn`t even need the seat and b) she went looking for a fight. It seems to be she was using this situation as an excuse to vent thinking she would get away with it. Violence like this is not excusable.

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I would also add a "60 year old" is hardly elderly! I think this woman was looking for a way to vent some stress and this is nothing less than assault. Especially if as The758 said the kid got up and she beat him anyway. If I was that kids mum I`d be furious!

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Wow. I simply have no patience for these types of kids anymore. My first inclination is to think the following:

The teenager in this story clearly is a monumental tool in desperate need of attitude adjustment, particularly since Japanese society is locked in this desperate freefall in which mollycoddling Japan's youth well into theri 30s seems to be the preferred method of creating a Great Society.

Well, the proof's in the pudding. A kid brazenly refusing to vacate a seat meant for the elderly would almost certainly not happened 50 or even 30 years ago. Now, it's a matter of course for some smart-mouthed kid to not only ignore polite requests, but also mock the pereson making the request. And Japanese adults whine, "Oh, we're too hard on our kids."

Screw that. There is no more fitting justice than seeing this kid get smacked down by the very same elderly person he ostensibly is supposed to show greater respect for. This woman, by virtue of making past 60, has earned at the very least the respect of a teen who hasn't even learned the responsibilities associated with creating a safe and harmonious society. So clearly, he needed to be taught respect the hard way. Bravo, I say. Let the little bastard and selfish little s#its just like him have it.

But then again, that would all make me sound cruel and uncivilized.

. . .

Naaaaah. Way to go, grandma!

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kirakira: Right! Elderly woman!? She's only 60, for pete's sake!! Did she at least ask him to move first or did she just immediately start beating him with her umbrella?

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Amazing how many people think it's OK for a grown woman to lay into a teenager, for whatever reason (unless he was already laying into her, which doesn't seem to be the case here)

The vernacular news has no mention of the boy 'brazenly refusing to vacate the seat' - they say she objected to a student sitting down, and hit him in the face. When the boy asked (quite reasonably, I think) What did you hit me for? she started kicking him and poking him in the face with her umbrella, breaking his nose in the process.

Way to go, grandma! my eye. Sounds more like she's the biddy from Hell.

she has been warned before by police for hitting middle and high school students.

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I find it amazing the way an article like this drags out the lurkers who are usually smart enough to be silent. But when they think they have some blatant violence they think they can somehow justify, they appear like a bunch of those loony WWF fans to cheer granny on.

Granny is simply deranged, and seems to have enough power and energy that she has no need whatsoever of the priority seats. As for the young man, not responding immediately to granny's yelling (as per the article) could mean the boy was angered by her anger (as I would have been) or even that he is DEAF. Any oldie that can't ask nicely first also deserves no seat.

As for Japanese people not getting up, they simply are not proactive people. But if you just open your mouth they will move quickly. I was seeing a girl who has medical problems that exhaust her and give her headaches. She was feeling bad and I asked a guy in a regular seat NICELY if she could have it. He got up like lighting and she was easily 20 years his junior. What it boils down to is they are shy and they don't know if you want the seat or not. I have offered grandmas my seat and they said no because they were getting off next stop anyway. After a while you just go "meh". But its still part of my culture to be aware and I am more aware than the average Japanese that that oldie over there is tottering and needs to sit. Meanwhile most Japanese will do whatever if you just have the courtesy to ask nicely. This screaming violent banshee of a grandma belongs in the west where she will be more appreciated apparently.

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This screaming violent banshee of a grandma

lol

Good terminology.

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I agree, if you do sit in a priority seat on a bus or train please have the common sense to offer them them the seat. I do this and also teach my children the same thing. This also applies to regular seats being offered to the elderly, pregnant, those with infant etc.

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I love Japan, but this extremes in behavior really amaze me. Most Japanese are so reluctant to be noticed, but the ones who do....? Wow.

I'm with the sane people on this one. People should give up seats more, and I regularly do, but nobody needs to be physically assaulted by a crazy lady, or a hero-to-zero macho man gaijin.

If she were really upset what's wrong with an old fashioned mini-sermon? Maybe the ones cheering her on are forgetting that if she missed her aim or he swerved the wrong way, he could have lost an eye!

People are getting crazier by the day.

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sorry, that should have been zero-to hero!

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Question for those of you supporting this violent woman:

What if it had been a teenage girl who refused to move for an elderly man? Would you supoprt the man breaking the girl's nose?

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yasukuni said: sorry, that should have been zero-to hero!

Nah. You had it right the first time. Sometimes the best heroes are the ones who can just keep their mouths shut.

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again, noone reads whole story. she has attacked middle school children before. 12 year old deserves this? very very wrong

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"The train company should offer a "Senior citizen only" car"

How about a "dead tired person" car, lol.

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Sorry but good on her. The current crop of kids has no respect for the elderly or anyone else. That'll teach the little punk to give up his seat. By the way, since when is 60 years old elderly?

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"By the way, since when is 60 years old elderly?"

Since always.

I'd definitely give up my seat to the elderly, but if grandma busts out the umbrella on my face, she's getting some broken bones, period.

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she must be originally from Osaka, LOLOLOL Seriously, that's some sort of progress, isn't it. Last time I heard elderly people are quite afraid of the stubborn/stupid youths, so they let it go usually. But once a 50-something lady politely said to some schoolboys on a train to move over so that she could sit (those were not priority seats anyway): 'onichan, chotto doite kureru?' And they complied. It should be the norm.

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'oniichan' lol

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'onichan, chotto doite kureru?'

she should say this. softly softly approach not violence anger

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yes, but the younguns should also comply. Still a long way to go as communication between the generations isn't so smooth, or even existent.

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Still a long way to go as communication between the generations isn't so smooth, or even existent.

our grandfather and his grandfather said so also.

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Young people today are selfish people when riding the bus. They use their outdoor voice, play their mp3s on the cellphone out loud, and won't give up seats for the handicap or the elderly.

Go Granny!

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"Sometimes the best heroes are the ones who can just keep their mouths shut."

Oh, sweet Petunia, what pap.

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Geez...no wonder the boy refused to stand up. People here are as stubborn as he is...so just because your elderly parents refuse to use the silver seats they have rights to use, you´ll think it´s right to disrespect the elderly? Maybe you`ll understand her when you reach 66.

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There was something similar in my country a few months ago but with the spots designed for handicapped people in parking lots. The reporter made an investigation and filmed many people who aren`t physically limited using the spots they´re not supposed to use and when the reporter came out questioning the reason why they were using those spots even though they have the regular spots, the answers were: ¨There´s not a handicapped person using this spot anyways¨ The SIGN says designed for handicapped people. Same in this case, silver seats are designed for elderly people, If people are so stubborn to refuse to understand that they sure deserve to be physically attacked!

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Don't even have to be handicapped, etc parking.

Plenty of times me and my buddies rocked up at a place only find some idiot parked his Car(BMW, MERC, etc) across 8+ Motorbike parking slots, because he/she is too lazy to walk a few metres. We tended to surround them with our bikes and waited till they come out and told them to got out off our parking space.

Same way he had a fight at work because 2 covered parking slots were assigned for 8 bikes(they fit easily).

Us Bikers got harrased for preferential treatment, hogging car-parking, etc.

Happens everywhere and same way there are always people that go ballistic.

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Obachan Kowaiiii

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Japan is a very violent and scary country.. Even the obatarian are violent, it seems....

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LOL, it's scary b/c one can never see it coming. They're too busy trying to look normal.

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What if it had been a teenage girl who refused to move for an elderly man? Would you support the man breaking the girl's nose?

I think a good spanking would be in order. ...from every man on the train, in fact. :^D

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realist: You havent seen violent yet. The guy who wasnt physically limited but using the parking lot spot designed for handicapped people I mentioned was attacked with a baseball bat by a handicapped girl´s father who got angry for having to wait for half an hour to park his car. There are ignorant people everywhere and there`s a lot more violence everywhere else than Japan although the problem in Japan is that nobody cares whether a handicapped person or an elderly is suffering or not.

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This poor old woman should become a NATIONAL HERO!!! Go obaachan! GO! Banzai elderly lady and I am so proud of you! Stand up for your rights!

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being persecuted for doing the right thing? Welcome to Japan.

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elbudamexicano-

This poor old woman

poor woman??? well, according to Japanese news, this woman got on the bus and found the boy sitting on a silver seat and immediately went up to him and yelled at him by saying "why the heck are you sitting here, you are a student!" <--- to me, that doesn't sound like "asking", and he might have given up the seat for her if he just saw her standing.. we don't know.

but going up to the boy to yell at him all the sudden, then punch him in the face, kick him in the leg and then poke his face with her unbrella.. Does that sound like what a "poor obachan" does?? does that sound like this 60-year-old woman was weak and unable to stand in the bus?

I don't think so..

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and then hit him in the face several times, kicked him in the leg and then poked him in the face with her umbrella. To me, that doesn't sound like an old lady who was unable to stand in the bus.

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Thanks fishy for the additional info. Fishy and JT story is a contradiction as to what actually took place (Fishy no offense intended here).

Just to clarify my previous comment,"Go Granny," is due to her being treated unjustly and taking a stand on senior rights. According to fishy that is not the case. I do not advocate physical violence or hurting anyone just because one thinks it is okay to do so. Physical violence is not the answer.

Young people learned from the elder examples. If Granny isn't setting good examples then how can she expect the youths to respect her in returned.

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Just what Japan needs: crazy old people to teach the untaught idiots of his generation to be humble and offer the seat first rather than feign tiredness and sleep in the seats meant for the older generations. Good on her for teaching this lesson he'll soon not forget despite it being technically against the law to assault someone. I've felt like assaulting so many but the law has always kept me in check like other normal people. Glad she was not so normal.

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i read this article and i see an evil elderly woman with a short temper who is FAR too quick to resort to violence against a CHILD whose crime was that he was sitting in a chair that was the wrong color for his age group. His offense is a misdemeanor that with repeat offenses could maybe lead to a small fine; her offense is assault and battery that resulted in a child needing medical treatment for a broken nose. Like using a fire hose to put out a lit candle.. it is stupidly unbalanced behavior from an apparently unbalanced woman. And i also wonder what someone else already asked.. if it had been a high school GIRL instead of a boy, and an elderly MAN instead of a woman, would any of you still be applauding?

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skip-

don't worry, i am not offended at all. i checked several different japanese news sites (attached one below) and none of them said the boy REFUSED to give up the seat..

http://news.biglobe.ne.jp/social/765/jc_100709_7654985676.html

so, this is just me guessing but the boy might not have even noticed that the oldER woman (she's not quite OLD OLD just yet) came onto the bus... and if she asked him to give up his seat NICELY, he might have just got up and gave up the seat!!

my point is... she didn't need to hit him, kick him and poke him with an umbrella and break his nose.

also, this woman has a history of hitting young students on the street previously according to j-news.

she probably didn't like the way young students act, but what she did was clearly wrong.

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@Mikanojo, I completely agree with you on that one. There are different levels of physical action. Grabbing the kid by the arm and pulling him out of the chair would have sufficed, instead of breaking his face.

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I don't know about old ladies in this country, they seem to be above the law in every aspect, be it driving, shopping, commuting, name it and you will see them disregarding every rule, yet possesing more strength and stamina then a high school student. A looney granny on the loose. The other day a kid was stabbed by his grandmother because of an altercation...GRANNY POWER KOWAIIII

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Kaptainkichigai,

every punk a androgynous, underpants showing, bad 80s mullet wearing, 1000decibal scooter driving, 45 kilogram high school dip sh

You`ve made my day.

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... condominium manager Tamiko Masuda

Her position as a condominium manager says it all.

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Looks like the wording on Japan Today is misleading, sounds like he was merely sitting in the seat and was assaulted for doing so. We people are defending this just because it's by a granny is beyond me!

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No one understands the others plight. Cracking him on the nose? NOPE.

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Sounds like the old bat has a bit of an anger management issue!

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If you are one of those that think her actions are "extreme" then try being pregnant and boarding a subway, or worse, a community bus (which is operated expressly for the elderly, handicapped and pregnant) where salarymen are routinely too ignorant and pigheaded to get up from a priority seat (or any seat for that matter),but instead like a coward feigns sleep. It is an absolute disgrace, and you can see where this young idiot (who by the way Mikanojo is hardly a "CHILD") gets his disgusting lack of manners from. I'm generally not a fan of crazy, pushy obachan, but in this case, I say GOOD FOR HER.

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The youth, as it turned out, has suffered from a calcium and other mineral deficiency, caused by a poor diet, causing his nose fracture by a slight touch with the infamous umbrella, which was not intentional. The direct hit, that is. The message is clear: Stay out of the priority seat, unless you belong to the sick and dying.

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It is an absolute disgrace, and you can see where this young idiot (who by the way Mikanojo is hardly a "CHILD") gets his disgusting lack of manners from.

no you can't. this is a news item. you can't see anything except what you project on it. so he is hardly a child? again. she has been warned by police before for assaulting middle school children, we know this. I'll give your approach a go and project and say I can see her beating up a 12 year old girl who brushed her with her backpack. see how it works?

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His offense is a misdemeanor that with repeat offenses could maybe lead to a small fine.

No it isn't a misdemeanor, and no he wouldn't get a fine.

She should get locked up though, since she's a violent repeat-offender.

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@MrDog: actually sir the misdemeanor would be 'Failiure to conform to city policies regarding use of public transport' and if it actually HAD been an issue then the bus driver could / should have done something. In truth, the JT article is lacking some interesting information about not only this incident, but about the buses in general. There is more than 1 silver seat.. the buses come in different sizes and in the smaller buses there may be as few as 4 but on most buses there are 8.. and after the regular seats are filled on a bus, the bus driver may well ASK the next passengers to sit on the silver seats. This woman is 60.. as 'elderly' as this high school student is a 'child'. His age is not given in the JT article but High school begins at age 15 for most students.. so to Yasashikuneye, hai.. he IS a child, but if it will make you feel better then we can call him a 'youth' as the article does. And no.. the attacker is NOT pregnant; she IS apparently dysfunctional. This adult woman has a police record of attacking children / youths already.. she is the one who has repeatedly proven herself to be a public menace - far more of a threat to the children / youth of the community than she herself is threatened by her indignation when she sees someone younger than her sitting in a silver seat! as MrDog said correctly.. SHE is a violent repeat-offender.

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CORRECTION.. the victim is and 18yr old youth.

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