crime

Man arrested for injuring woman who was texting while walking

28 Comments

Police in Tokyo on Thursday arrested a 49-year-old company employee from Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, on suspicion of assault after he hit a 34-year-old woman who was texting on her smartphone while walking along.

According to police, the incident occurred on June 24 on the platform at Nijubashimae Station on the Chiyoda subway line. Fuji TV reported that the suspect, Yoshiyuki Kiuchi, has admitted hitting the woman and quoted him as saying he did it “in order to teach people who walk while texting to watch out for others."

Kiuchi rammed his body into the woman’s right elbow, which was extended at the time. The woman was knocked to the ground and sustained chest and elbow injuries requiring three weeks to heal.

Kiuchi was identified through station security camera footage. He told police that two years ago, a woman engrossed in her smartphone collided with him and he fell down some stairs. He said that he has been deliberately bumping into people texting about once every three days "to teach them manners."

Police said that since June, there have been four similar incidents reported and they are questioning Kiuchi about his involvement in those cases.

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28 Comments
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If someone is about to walk into a person because they are looking at their phone instead of ahead, then I have no problem if the crashee stands their ground or even pushes the offender away to avoid a collision. (A loud "oy" scaring the moron might be pretty enjoyable, as well.)

But, to deliberately move out of your own path to assault some a-hole because you don't like what they're doing? That's just some seriously sociopathic behavior. If you're so concerned with how their behavior is affecting the safety of others, it's easy enough to let verbally them know without physically assaulting them like a lunatic.

21 ( +31 / -10 )

I don't agree with what he did, and I've been bumped into by several texting walkers. He was, in his simple way (and stated by himself) that he held a grudge for being knocked down some stairs by a texter. It will be interesting to see what his punishment amounts to.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

The proper way to do this would have been to deliberately run into the woman and then immidiatly apologize and offer assistance. "Ah, gomenasai! Daijyobudesuka?"

5 ( +13 / -8 )

Hmmm I can totally understand his frustration. The amount of smartphone zombies has increased. Sometimes I also just wanna grab their smartphones and throw it against the wall. Some people are oblivious for the people around them.

17 ( +21 / -4 )

I hate the smartphone zombies too, but I don´t condone deliberately ramming them. What I often do is stand and watch them walk into me. Happened often enough. I don´t know if that has an impact on their addiction though.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

I was in Tokyo a few years ago and a businessman was walking on the other side of the street while holding his laptop in front of him. Suddenly he trips and goes sprawling across the pavement. I deserved an Oscar that day for being able to keep a straight face while continuing my walk. (I had a good giggle about it later though). I mean, come on, that's not too clever. If someone in London is about to walk into me with their phone, I find a loud HELLO, tends to wake them up.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

This lunatic admitted he has deliberately been targeting people.

Nobody here living in Japan received the clothes-line treatment from Japanese guys targeting them? These maniacs do it on purpose and look for it. This story proves I'm not paranoid about it. I give it back when it happens - a few weeks ago I grabbed hold of some chimpira who tried to take me out inside a station walkway. He wasn't very chimpira when I shoved him back.

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

What I often do is stand and watch them walk into me

How about just stepping aside?

-7 ( +7 / -14 )

Only women, huh?

What a brave man.....

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Kiuchi rammed his body into the woman’s right elbow, which was extended at the time

He said that he has been deliberately bumping into people texting about once every three days "to teach them manners."

Now it's time law to teach you some manners. Elbowing during commuting is pretty common in Japan for whatever reason.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I'd like to see this guy try it on a foreigner recently arrived.

Good job by the police to put him behind bars.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Einstein: “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interactions. The world will have a generation of idiots.” He was correct!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I've seen this happen quite often. It's usually elderly people who seem to be irritated by the younger people on their phones. They purposely step into their way to cause them to collide and most often, drop their phones.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

I had one idiot shoulder charge me at one of the Tokyo metro stations a while ago. He deliberately dropped his shoulder into me. I was not looking at my phone. I was on the edge of the opposite traffic flow. He just wanted to be a bully plick. I yelled at him and chased him. He cowardly tried to disappear into the crowd. I caught up with him and he shakes up for a fight. I grabbed his baseball cap and grew across the station. He looked at me and took off after his hat. It was kind of like that scene in the last Riddick movie when the dog was trying to eat him. There are many of these glass-jaw wanna be hero’s in Japan that think they are nine feet tall and made of steel. This comes from growing up in a society where they have never been punched in the face for being a donkey’s butt.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

I could imagine though taking the train in Tokyo everyday surrounded by mobs of people could be stressful as heck so I am surprised that more people don't start fights or push others.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

There are good people on both sides! LOL!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I could imagine though taking the train in Tokyo everyday surrounded by mobs of people could be stressful as heck so I am surprised that more people don't start fights or push others.

The fighting is usually during the summer on the hottest days at the busiest times of the day!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Not going to go out of my way to clobber someone, but on the other hand, I'm not going to go to great lengths to move out of the way if a phone zombie walks into me.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

If he wanted to teach the phone zombies a lesson, it would be more effective to "get hit" by them, fall down, call the police and press charges.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Please tell me where I can contribute to his defense fund. As a person who has no tolerance for odious, self-absorbed phone addicts who not only stroll with their eyes glued to the screen on crowded platforms during rush hour but also block the doors of trains while boarding and disembarking, I'd also like to offer to testify as a material witness at his trial.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Walking in crowded areas with eyes stuck to a phone screen is disrespectful and dangerous to others.

Although I don’t agree with injuring those that do it, I do have sympathy with Mr Kiuchi.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

I actually only got the shoulder bump once in Shibuya. The guy was trying to teach me a lesson not to walk the wrong way that the floor arrows showed.

Indeed. When very peeved about it I stand my ground as the locals approach the wrong way and point to the arrow. I get tired of all the complaints against "foreigners" who don't know how to behave in Japan.

I can't recall doing it for a cell phone user. However, those who text and cycle while threading through pedestrians on sidewalks are even more obnoxious and dangerous. Mind you, I won't deliberately get in their way as it's too easy to get seriously hurt.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Pedestrian commuter rage

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I feel sorry for people commuting by train in Tokyo every single day.....

I take trains a few times a month and I couldn’t bear avoiding those totally disrespectful inconsiderate zombies on a daily basis....

2 ( +2 / -0 )

But, to deliberately move out of your own path to assault some a-hole

Well I cannot judge without seeing the video footage. Was he going out of his way to do it, or just keeping his eyes open for organic opportunities? She may well have set this up herself, and he just reacted as he would normally or wished he would by reflex.

"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interactions. The world will have a generation of idiots."

@Do the hustle Well someone was correct. Einstein never said that but we have a generation that thinks he did despite having the technology at their fingertips to know he didn't.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

He should be mine own his business. This guy has an evil intention to hurt people. He deserve to be lock inside or pay the damage he has done especially the medical bill and medicine.

In 3 weeks healing look if that girl a part timer how much she has been lost in her salary?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I can sort of understand the frustration he has, some people regardless whether texting or not, will simply try a "power-push" and ignore you forcing you to stop and let them pass regardless whether they're being downright stupid or not... I guess it gives them a kick by doing so. Japan has these types of people, just as elsewhere in the World.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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