Japanese man fined $2,500 for assaulting Delta flight attendant

Wow, he apologized for inconveniencing the court, but not for hitting the lady, twice. I wish he'd hit me in the arm, twice.

So he paid a total of 12,500 dollars? Serves him right! I wonder if the FA will get any of that money.

$2,500 is a really expensive sleep. I hope he now understands that his need to have a quick kip on an airplane does not trump the rights of other people not to be assaulted...

Ah! Perhaps he surely must have watched the movie "Airplane!" with the hysterical passenger - But then again, I should not call him Shirley...

(OK - watch the movie)

First, I am glad that there was a follow up story, too many times things are left in limbo here.

Next, the guy is lucky he didn't do that to another customer, there is no way he would have gotten off so cheaply.

Darknuts, you get the bond back if you show up and pay the fine. This guy seemed to travel with a lot of cash. I wonder if he declared it on his papers for customs.

I bet he toasted his son with a coke.

People were talking so he hit her? I am sure he mad more noise than those were had the audacity to speak while he was trying to sleep. Flying sucks but geez, hitting someone because they can't sleep? I hope they had an ankle bracelet on him because I highly doubt he didn't drink at the wedding if he didn't have one on.

If he's like this in public, I have to wonder what he's behind closed doors. Bully.

I hope the J media had a parade of cameras waiting for him when he got home, this was assault!

US$2,500 only? Wish Yen was weak.

not a lawyer, but cant the flight attendant also sue him for personal injury/damages? if i were her, i'd do it immediately.

The US are too soft on pieces of human filth like Yamanuchi. Surprised this cowardly woman beater didn't use the words "regrettable" and "unfortunate" in court. Hope he meets karma in a terrible manner...

@Japangal So that's how it works. Thanks for clarifying. $2500 is too cheap! It should be $5000 at least.

@ironchef She would have to sue him in Japan cause once he leaves the states he's outside their jurisdiction. Course I'm no legal expert either.

A media player that wasn't working? I don't even know what that is supposed to mean! Was it a part of the service? There is no justifying the hitting, but maybe they should have shut up about the media player or kept it down?

I am also thankful for the follow up story. I am not thankful for the apparent attempt to put some blame the wine though.

And the money. I think the guy should be in jail for a while, not just pay some money. And any money should go to the FA. Why should the state collect?

Glad updates are provided by JT, since I didn't catch anything about this fellow on the regular news programs. Maybe this is just a bit too embarrassing, not only for this guy's family, but for the whole damned nation ^^. And we can't have that. Wonder what the in-laws are thinking now. Embarrassing on all levels. First I read his media player wasn't working, but no, he freaked out because they were talking at a seat behind him. Usually I only hear the hum of the engines, but ok, I guess some people might be hearing voices after having downed a whole glass of champagne and 4 glasses of wine. I doubt he said just "be quiet". Probably something like "urusendayo, bakayaro!". And he was lucky to get away with just a fine. Punch a Japanese person and see what happens. You won't get away with it that easy. Bond? Pfff. I guess it's the mandatory 23 days stint behind bars before you get to talk to a lawyer. Reminds me of that Dutch dolphin photographer in prison since 18 December for allegedly having pushed a Japanese fellow. Pushed, not punched, allegedly pushed! And there were no witnesses like on this plane. And this is not in the news either of course. Nihon no haji.

Yamanouchi was traveling to Hawaii to attend his son’s wedding at a Waikiki hotel, Song said. Through an interpreter, Yamanouchi apologized for inconveniencing the court. He told the judge he was trying to sleep but people were talking, so he told the flight attendant to be quiet, Song said.

Who is "Song"?

Some ojisan can really be very aggressive, especially after 4 bottle of wine. 65 year old and still in the mood of insulting other people. Lucky for him it was a flight attendant and didn't do it in the street, he could have got it back and would be dead now as another yelling ojisan at red traffic light a few weeks ago.

Punch a Japanese person and see what happens. You won't get away with it that easy. Yes, they do. Which is why Japan has a huge problem with DV, sempai/kohai violence and bullying. Mind you, if you are a foreigner than I would agree with your sentence.

Japanese idiot...

My sis has been working as a FA for 15 years and was telling me that she actually prefers working in economy. She doesn't care much for business class and the ill-mannered snobs there, like this moron, but she reserves her hatred for first class. Every chance she gets she swaps with someone to get out of dealing with the egos, complaints, and general snobbery of the people flying in those ridiculously overpriced seats.

Anyway, this guy got off lightly in my book. But then again this is Hawaii and the legal system there has their own way of dealing with customers, I mean visitors with yen. Oh the stories I have heard.

The assistant U.S. attorney

Right, Godan: he should count his lucky stars he wasn't blacklisted. Freighters between Hawaii and Japan are few and far between.

By the way, my guess is that he was already soused when he boarded. Four glasses of airplane wine is normally not enough to separate oyaji from reality to this extent.

Drunk before boarding is more than likely.

I'm glad he was tried and 'punished' over there and not here -- I'm not at all sure he would have gotten the same punishment, let alone even tried. Hope his son and daughter-in-law didn't suffer too much embarrassment due to this old oyaji.

I hope his son, daughter-in-law, and whole family were and are embarrassed. His actions shouldn't ever be forgotten nor forgiven. Hawaii needs the tourists so they won't punish foreigners to the full extent for something like this.

This news is Top Story ? Ahhh JT you really know what the gang here like don't you :)

"four glasses of wine in business class"

$2,500 is pocket change for Sohei.

That's it!? Just $2,500? After paying $10,000 like nothing, 2.5grands is just that, nothing for him.

this a-hole got off way too easy

He told the judge he was trying to sleep but people were talking, so he told the flight attendant to be quiet, Song said.

Oh, well that's fine then. Clearly the thing to do next time I'm in front of a noisy child is to get up and punch him/her. Oh wait, no, that's assault.

He should have been thrown in a cell for a few months to think about what he did. If the penalty he pays is only $2500, he's just going to do it again. I wonder how many izakaya waitresses he's smacked around in his time and got away with it...

I would like that,delta airlines and flight attendant,start lawsuit claiming moral damages and seek compensation millionaire against this animal.

This old fool had much luck to be tried in Hawaii because if he had been tried by a judge South of the United States,the end of this story would be different.

i love how JT loves to play the "bad japanese" card. seriously, if this guy inflicted "real" harm on the FA, he would have been charged with battery, which is a much more serious offense. a slap and a closed hand "punch" ON THE SHOULDER by a drunk oyaji indicates that the FA was over reacting, and so are the readers. puh-lease!

I agree with TMARIE - BULLY!!

Hold this old miser in prison for six months at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba,and it will return as a Buddhist monk, totally zen.

What a jerk! The plane isn't your bedroom! Get a set of ear plugs!

He hit a female who is most likely somebodies daughter, mother and or sister. If somebody assaults my mom, well sanity flies right out the window and it aint returning with ease. So it's good he was taken into custody and fined. He will hopefully learn something from this. I doubt he will though but that is why I say hopefully.

They should have him ejected at 30,000 ft! He will have time to think before he becomes part of the landscape! It's a good thing I wasn't sitting near when it happened! Either I would have been banned for life from flying! Or, the FBI would hire me as an undercover agent! Let's put it this way! Mr old bag of bones would have only hit her once!

I remember of an American Airlines flight where there was an old miser oji-san shouting with a flight attendant and all were silent, is an embarrassing situation.

The flight attendants american are often rude when they find a passenger who do not speak english.

When traveling by a U.S. airline is paid 30% ~ 40% less but you know that we will receive a receive bad onboard service, have to be aware .

Maybe,the ojisan has learned the lesson and the next time,he wants to travel of ANA to avoid trouble.

suzukakid: "I hope his son, daughter-in-law, and whole family were and are embarrassed. His actions shouldn't ever be forgotten nor forgiven."

Really? I hope they disown him and rise above any potential embarrassment. If they allow the embarrassment they justify the moron's actions. I hope what they do is vow never to see the man again, and even better would be to legally disown him. I don't see why the son/daughter-in-law should suffer the sins of the father. I hope then in turn that the wife takes second look at the lout and criminal she decided to marry, and perhaps choose the option of taking half his salary and leaving him. It'll be a hard learned lesson, would that he learned, but I have my doubts he will learn anything at all but instead will proclaim himself the victim.

issa!: "The flight attendants american are often rude when they find a passenger who do not speak english."

Actually, the way it works is that the flight attendants from Western countries rightfully do no tolerate violence; whereas in many Asian airlines they are still misled by thoughts like "the customer comes first (even when they grab your as% and punch you!). I know this first hand because I have have had girlfriends who worked for both Delta long ago, and ANA, Cathay, and JAL. All of the latter were told to 'gaman', but the former was told that if touched inappropriately, let alone PUNCHED, it is the fault of the customer, not something to be accepted.

YES, by comparison, some Western airline flight attendants are more strongly spoken than their passive, "the company says it's okay if I get the bejeezus beaten out of me" equivalent, but do you honestly think that's better? What would these 100% compliant FAs do in the event of an attack or some potential danger if they cannot even object to a drunk ojisan hitting them?

Regardless... I find it sick that you try to defend the old man here by picking on a nation's choice of being politically correct instead of defending outdated patriarchal and disgusting practices. Shame on you. That's why I said I was happy he was tried in the US; if he was tried in Japan and you were the judge you would probably have let him go and blamed the West for the drunk man's physical assault.

He's paid 2500 bucks so far for his behavior.

Has he also paid some "smooth things over money" to the flight attendant he assaulted?

The judge should have added pyschological evaluation on top of the monetary fine...........make the old dude loses " face ", so to speak.

Shame

(( although it does highlight the fact that we are often at least partially masters of our own doom ))

Not in this case, I do not agree. A Flight Attendant are there to oversee and make sure you do what you have to do for a safe flight like making sure you buckle your seat belt, and to provide nourishment etc.. They would have to go way overboard like trying to open the planes doors while in flight for an assault to be justified.

Familienprobleme: "I find it sick that you use the term "defend" (anyone) when the statement was obviously meant not as a defense but rather just to add some context to the situation."

Yes, well, I find it sick you defend the oyaji. Nice name, by the way.... 'family problem' and you defend physically abusive old men. Nicely done! I appreciate your support of my stance, although you of course did not mean it.

"Pointing out that people are rarely punched out of the clear blue sky is not defending anyone, although it does highlight the fact that we are often at least partially masters of our own doom. I think you are intelligent enough to understand this."

Does this actually make sense to anyone?

a slap and a closed hand "punch" ON THE SHOULDER by a drunk oyaji indicates that the FA was over reacting, and so are the readers. puh-lease!

rickyvee -- sheer nonsense. An airplane in mid-flight is NOT a place to tolerate ANY form of violence or unruly behavior. It potentially endangers the safety of many people on board. (For example, what would have happened if her shoulder had been injured, and thereby not allowing her to perform her duties in an emergency situation?) There is no gray area. There is a line, and if you cross it, you get what you deserve. And ANY physical or verbal abuse of an FA is way past that line. (Just ask Alec Baldwin.) This guy was an arrogant, drunk idiot and JAL can have him and his kind that expect their little "trangressions" to be overlooked -- like the international airspace is just a continuation of Japan's "sacred" soil, where even female FA's are there to serve the men.

Oji-san got lucky. He could have been cooling his heels in a U.S. jail for a few weeks....

We do not want to keep him here as it would cost a tax payers moeny. Also he is not a threat to society. Simple.

@globalwatcher

A violent drunk is not a threat to society? I'd hate to see him after a full bottle of wine.

The flight attendants american are often rude when they find a passenger who do not speak english.

No wonder if they are dealing with violent Japanese passengers who think they are the center of the world.

For those who aren't familiar with bail bonds:

If a court plans to release a suspect until trial, but they're not sure the person will return, they'll assign a "bail bond" value that must be paid before the suspect is released. The bail bond varies with the severity of the crime and how likely it is the suspect will flee. The suspect's lawyer or relatives will contract a bail bondsman to guarantee the full amount to the court after paying the bail bondsman a percentage of the amount (the percentage varies). Once the suspect does return to court, the bail bondsman is off the hook for the full amount of the bond, but keeps the amount paid to them by the lawyer/family.

Some states have outlawed bail bonds and replaced them with an outright (lower than bail) fee imposed by the court, with the entire fee refunded if the suspect shows up as instructed. This is better for the family as they do not lose any of the money as long as the suspect appears in court when they're supposed to.

In regards to Mr. Yamanouchi, the court assigned a $10,000 bond, of which $1,000 or so was paid to a bail bondsman who guaranteed the full $10,000 to the court. Once Mr. Yamanouchi returned to court, the bail bondsman no longer owed the court $10,000 and he/she kept the $1,000 or so that was paid to him/her.

When you include the fine, Mr. Yamanouchi spent around $3,500 (plus lawyer's fees) for four servings of wine and a glass of champagne. Truly an unintelligent choice.

For the shame, embarassment and assault, the flight attendant should sue him. I wonder why he hit the flight attendant. Most Japanese are courteous and polite. I guess he is an excemption and a shame to his fellowmen.

If the flight attendant don't sue or even ask for an apology from this man, the flight attendant could be guilty of making unnecessary noise that made the man hit her. According to the interpreter, he ask the attendant to keep it quite.

For the shame, embarassment and assault, the flight attendant should sue him.

She could sue for medical expenses and/or compensation for "pain and suffering". Unless the open-handed or closed fist strikes left a bruise, she would have difficulty collecting any "pain and suffering" damages. Shame/embarrassment does not apply as she was performing her duties as a flight attendant. There is no shame in doing your job. "Assault" is a criminal offense, not a civil one.

If the flight attendant don't sue or even ask for an apology from this man, the flight attendant could be guilty of making unnecessary noise that made the man hit her. According to the interpreter, he ask the attendant to keep it quite.

First of all, it is impossible for noise to "make" a human being strike another. Mr. Yamanouchi decided to do that all on his own. Trying to blame noise as the reason he struck her is just trying to put the blame where it doesn't belong. Speculating that she might be "guilty" simply because she didn't sue doesn't make sense at all. Her company may prohibit lawsuits over incidents that occur on their aircraft while in flight. As for demanding an apology, maybe she just chalks it up as another "crazy passenger" and has moved on. Now you're going to suspect her because she didn't demand revenge?

Second of all, just because you "ask" (the actual text in the article says he "told") the flight attendant to be quiet does not mean she can do so in order to carry out her duties. She was working with a passenger to resolve a problem with a faulty media player. That she was involved in resolving it indicates the media player was part of the aircraft and not a personal one.

Passengers must follow the instructions of the flight attendants. Flight attendants cannot be ordered around by the passengers. Mr. Yamanouchi apparently felt he could order them around like servants. That was a $3,500 (at least) error.

issa1JAN. 15, 2012 - 12:36AM JST I remember of an American Airlines flight where there was an old miser oji-san shouting with a flight attendant and all were silent, is an embarrassing situation. The flight attendants american are often rude when they find a passenger who do not speak english. When traveling by a U.S. airline is paid 30% ~ 40% less but you know that we will receive a receive bad onboard service, have to be aware . Maybe,the ojisan has learned the lesson and the next time,he wants to travel of ANA to avoid trouble.

Yes, it was my first thought. If that oyaji is used to the smooth, delicious service by JAL/ANA FA's he would be shocked by the service by USA/CAN FA's.

darknutsJan. 15, 2012 - 08:54AM JST

@globalwatcher

A violent drunk is not a threat to society? I'd hate to see him after a full bottle of wine.

This was probably his first offence. Plus, being Japanese without communication skill, it was a good idea to let him go for his safety (life). He probably would end up being a good a target in US jail. Inmates here are mean and dangerous. The judge already saw that possibility.

At higher altitudes, 1 alcoholic drink = 3

Tahoochi - Are you sure it's not the opposite way around? Going deeper increases the partial pressure of gases in your body, which is why you get the phenomena known as nitrogen narcosis at depth, which can have a similar effect as driunkenness. If you're talking about it being easy to get light-headed due to lack of oxygen at depth and much thinner air, then yes, but that's way above what a cabin is pressurized to.

Most Japanese are courteous and polite. I guess he is an excemption and a shame to his fellowmen.

Unless they are boarding a train or at a sale.

It's a known fact that Asian men cannot hold their alcohol like caucasian men. It's really true. Folks, I'm male and weigh barely 50kg (I'm a runner) and can drink 750ml of wine and feel just a good buzz but can still talk, act, and think straight. I would never have acted that way with just that little alcohol that he drank. He committed a serious crime but picked the right State to land at. Hawaii needs visitors with Yen which explains the light sentence. Had he landed in Texas, he would still be behind bars!

Had he landed in Texas, he would still be behind bars!

Makes me wish his son's wedding was in Texas then. He should consider himself lucky.