Police in Akiruno, Tokyo, have arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of assaulting a taxi driver after he refused to pay the fare.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 5:30 a.m. on Sept 13, Sankei Shimbun reported. Shigehiro Sakamaki, a newspaper deliveryman, is accused of refusing to pay the 4,200-yen fare from Hachioji Station and then punching the 59-year-old driver in the face and stomach several times before running away.
The driver suffered a broken rib, police said.
Police said Sakamaki, who was arrested on Wednesday, has denied the charge and quoted him as saying he was drunk and has no recollection of the incident.
© Japan Today
17 Comments
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Spidey
Classic.
S
Hiro
As if taxi drivers aren't having it rough enough already during this whole pandemic. The driver is gonna be spending weeks trying to recover with no income. Police can grill that drunkard for all i care
Zaphod
Ah, another totally unique excuse! Wish I got 100 Yen for every I see this.
Disillusioned
Being so drunk he can't remember should be part of the offense, not the defense.
Makeyourlifeeasy2015
I agree with Disillusioned. Being drunk and can’t remember should be part of the offense. If you know that you loose control or can’t remember a thing while drunk, you must not drink in public, and if you ever to be allowed to drink, a guardian should be assigned to control your behavior or you should even be warring a sign post so that normal people can avoid taking risk while being with you. The funny thing is that He still remember could still remember to target a person who is weaker than him
UK9393
Am sure the video says different.
Albert
What happens if someone says no recollection about the event. It is often used in Japan. So the attacker will not be punished or just a light punishment?
Paul14
Does having no recollection of the incident provide some kind of passport to freedom? It would be an interesting article if this newspaper collated conviction statistics with those arrested making that statement.
purple_depressed_bacon
A likely excuse that hopefully won't fly in court. Poor cab driver. Hope he recovers well and doesn't encounter horrible customers like this drunken fool.
shogun36
They need to start the show "Taxicab Confessions" here.
Only they'll call it "Taxicab Drunks Who Can't Remember."
It would be the highest rated comedy in Japan in decades.
Strangerland
It's not an excuse, and doesn't "fly" in the Japanese legal system.
starpunk
And that should lead to a second charge of 'drunk and disorderly' as well as assault + battery.
Yrral
You have no choice in Tokyo after 12 am, but rude in a taxi, while subway service in halted, in Houston, you can ride the rail and bus for 3 dollars all day
Strangerland
Does having no recollection of the incident provide some kind of passport to freedom?
No. Being drunk does not excuse one from guilt in Japan, or lessen the sentence. Many foreigners on this site keep claiming that this statement somehow excuses them from punishment, but that's not true at all. For example, here is one claiming it excuses them:
I also wonder, how they think suspects should answer the police when they are blackout drunk, and the police ask them about something they don't know. Should the suspects lie and just make something up?
Strangerland
It's neither.