A 32-year-old man was arrested on Monday morning for intentionally driving his car into a group of schoolchildren, aged 6 to 10, who were on their way to school in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. Three children were taken to hospital with injuries, police said.
Tsuyoshi Minaminaka, 32, a plumber, was charged with attempted murder in the incident which took place around 7:40 a.m. The suspect told police he got angry after some of the children pointed their fingers at him. According to police, he drove past the children, reversed his car for about 30 meters and then plowed into them.
© Japan Today
42 Comments
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timorborder
This defies belief? On what planet is "becoming angry after children pointed fingers" a justifiable defence for one's actions? This guy has just dug a very deep hole for himself, let's hope the police complete the task and bury this clown completely.
Fair dinkum!
What kind of comment can one possibly post about a story like this? It's just despicable! I hope the police have given him the phone book and rubber hose treatment.
some14some
Cancel his driving license and send him to same school after he faces charges.
LFRAgain
DEAR GOD!! What the hell is wrong with people?! Because they pointed at him?! I still haven't had time to process the parents who were in a manga cafe while their 2-year old was drowning in a drainage ditch outside. It's turning out to be a great news day, isn't it?
romulus3
the frame of mind this guy is obviously in begs the question. "were they really pointing at him?" probably not. but now the entire country is. he must be incredibly paranoid, self absorbed and under intense stress to snap like that. poor sick animal. they should put him out of his misery.
Triumvere
the frame of mind this guy is obviously in begs the question. "were they really pointing at him?" probably not.
My thoughts exactly.
Youdontknow
Words defy me except PUT THIS IDIOT AWAY IN SOLITARY FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE!! Romulus: Intense stress my arse mate! He's a complete lunatic and needs a damn good kicking!
Altria
Don't tell me you haven't wanted to do the same after one too many finger points and "gaijin da!" shouts.
thepro
What a worthless scumbag
greensatindress
I wonder how the driver is feeling now...? I am envisioning a Far Side character at the police station with a bubble over his head reading: "damn that felt good. reeeealll good."
lipscombe
he'll say sorry and get 3 year suspended sentence
blvtzpk
A wound-up nation unwinding in spectacular fashion it seems.
capone
shoot him
Sarge
This is the second time a plumber's got into trouble here - last week another plumber was arrested for making too may free-dial calls to a company which featured a nice-sounding ( I guess ) woman's voice on its order-taking recording. But this is a far more serious case. This guy should be locked up permanently.
Altria - not really.
memyselfI
SCARY DRIVER
Hughgarse
Tuck in your skirt!! What a nutjob this guy is.. to actually go through the thought process to turn the car around and plow through schoolkids.... Shame the 14th century punishments are done and dusted.
Nagdude
What do you want to bet this guy was off his "medication?" Hope the kids are okay.
dr_jones
"Don't tell me you haven't wanted to do the same after one too many finger points and "gaijin da!" shouts."
well to be honest, i'd like to ... into a group of right-wings!
williamsmith
It is terrible to drive your car into a crowd of people, but it goes to prove you really shouldn't point at people. The action of pointing can turn the most mild mannered man into a car rammer. It's crazy to point at someone.
NuckinFutz
If one of my children were in that group the latest Rambo movie would seem tamer than an episode of Anpanman! And the J-stone cops would NOT be an obstacle!
outofmydepth
japan had better get on the mental health bandwagon or this country is done for. i have never in my almost 20 years here read so many stories of people falling apart and attacking/killing so many people week after week after week.
Sarge
"japan had better get on the mental health bandwagon or this country is done for"
The statistics would tell you that you're far safer in Japan than just about any other developed country.
williamsmith
He couldn't have hit them so hard, or they would be dead. Children are little, so hitting and killing them would be easier than with an adult, because children are smaller and more fragile, and adults are bigger so actually damaging an adult with the car would be more difficult than with children of this age that are smaller and easier to break the bodies. So, he couldn't have hit them too hard. Maybe foot off the gas? Or pressing the break?
himasan
Maybe he was adjusting his ipod, or maybe he hit the gas instead of the brake. Anyway, same thing happens in the USA, only people use guns instead of cars and you dont even have to point your finger, just looking at someone the wrong way will suffice.
outofmydepth
williamsmith - i AM sorry - i was really talking about the WHY, not that he didn`t hit them very hard. the idiot backed up and aimed for them. yes, in other countries as well. but my point is i have never felt so unsafe in THIS country concerning my children, my husband, myself and all those known and unknown. my point is this country is falling apart but no one seems to be doing anything about it.
williamsmith
Yes, the WHY is that they pointed the fingers. The HOW is of importance because he could have gone faster and made the injuries of horrible quality, or the death. I am not pretending that it is insignificant, but also the old lady riding a bicycle can make the broken bodies on the side walk. Sometimes a scraped knee or hand, but the smaller children can be injured by the bicycle driver's accident because the have not the size or weight of the adult to have a deflection of the impact. I think the car rammer is a fool, just a frustrated fool. Don't have such a worry on the subject, be more beware of the sleezy pervert.
outofmydepth
well - being held for ATTEMPTED MURDER says it all for me. apparently it`s not quite clear to you williamsmith.
blvtzpk
On the NHK news this evening it said that, after the finger-pointing, he stopped his car, reversed 30 meters and then drove into the kids. Spur of the moment? I don't think so.
Again, what was this about? Random, unknown kids annoying him with their pointing, or does this story have some history (i.e. he has some sort of relationship with the kids, a reputation in the area that has resulted in finger-pointing)? It would be interesting to know!
Bogi
Am I off the mark in saying that Japan seems to have a really high instance of weird crimes? Fair enough, the number of serious crimes per capita is probably low compared to elsewhere, but there are just so many bizarre incidents here. If this is a consequence of capitalism and the type of society a growing economic gap spurns, I don't think I want to be here 10 years from now. The country will be full of nutters.
Smythe
Very hard to accept that someone would deliberatly back up their car to hurt children.
For crying out loud they are just children & children will say strange things or funny hands at you-----that is part of the joy in them growing up plus a child is only young for such a short length of time & should be cherished in their children like ways of life.
I drive my SUV or ride my m/c through a school zone so close to me. The grandparents are out with electric signs that will indicate the speed one is travelling. Only once have I recorded 31 KPH by accident & most often I am down to 24kph or about that. Above all I will stop when children are crossing the street or possibly thinking of doing it with no guidence from adults. In several cases I have actually stopped to get off my m/c, to step into the oncomming lane & waved the children on to safety. A small wave of "thank you", from possibly one, is something I will remember for ages.
There are no sidewalks in the short roads to or from my home. So I drive or ride at a darn slow pace for it could be children playing on the paved roads or accidently on the roads like a trycle or bicycle with trainer wheels, or actually playing on the roads, to folks out for a walk or some one or a couple walking their dog(s). Life is important to all & especially children which is something I have never had as I am an old bachelor.
dany505
Well on the up side for him he wont have to wait in line to get into hell. They will just move in through with his express pass.
frontandcentre
This kind of incident arises from mental illness (most probably ignored or undiagnosed), or alienation from society, that complete lack of empathy for unconnected people that I regularly see in Japan. Anyone using such a pathetically flimsy excuse to try and harm vulnerable children should be punished severely, unless they are proven to be mentally ill.
I hope that this guy has many years in solitary confinement to contemplate and regret the petulant, vindictive stupidity of his actions, not to mention the fragility of his worthless ego
Fair dinkum!
Are you serious? Which parallel universe are you from that makes any sort of violent action against kids acceptable? In Australia he would also be charged with 'using a vehicle as a deadly weapon' and would face ten years in jail for that alone. This ingrate will get off with a warning by pleading temporary insanity (since birth).
TheguyNextdoor
Its just unbelieveable how some of you are making excuses for his actions. He drove his car into small children!!!!! He will go directly to hell, no stop on go and no collection of $200........
frontandcentre
By the way "Tsuyoshi" means strong - I guess his parents got that wrong...
What a pathetic coward
nath
i saw it this morning on the TV. this guy is just stupid, why is he angry? he tried to kill child because they looked him it s no sense.
smithinjapan
What an idiot, and how sad the overall situation in Japan; you can't do anything for fear of some maniac who decides to kill you over nothing. All too often in this country we hear, "I did it because he bumped into me and didn't apologize," or some such equally terrifying 'reason'.
So kids were pointing at you! Who's the adult here? Suck it up and ignore it.
netrek
This man is a real monster. I hope they hang him.
bushlover
[Above all I will stop when children are crossing the street or possibly thinking of doing it with no guidence from adults. In several cases I have actually stopped to get off my m/c, to step into the oncomming lane & waved the children on to safety. A small wave of "thank you", from possibly one, is something I will remember for ages]
This kind of brownie point post makes me sick. This is almost as childish as the guy who backs up to drive into kids because they point at him. Although I wish much worse for the rammer than the brownie point seeker.
Tokyoskies
What an idiot, and how sad the overall situation in Japan; you can't do anything for fear of some maniac who decides to kill you over nothing. All too often in this country we hear, "I did it because he bumped into me and didn't apologize," or some such equally terrifying 'reason'.
So kids were pointing at you! Who's the adult here? Suck it up and ignore it.
I find your comment absurd. All too often??? The crime rate for violent crimes are much lower here than in most other countries. I just hate people who live in Japan and have nothing else than JAPAN BASHING in their minds. I never felt safer than here, and I have lived and worked in 6 more countries. It is a fact that you get killed over nothing in any European country and especially in the States. And much easier too.
The problem here is just that people got screwed by Yankees after WWII. They lost their culture, their ideology and identity. Another foul victim of American imperialism ...(^^)
But seriously, this man is sick and twisted and he will get punished,but this crime is not specific to Japan, and neither are all other crimes happening here.
frontandcentre
bushlover - how is helping kids to get safely across the road 'childish'? Sounds pretty public spirited to me. Let's hope your children never need such 'childish' assistance.
Himajin
Cripes.Someone on here can even complain about people doing good...