Man fatally stabs father over TV channel argument

I hate these kind of headlines (there was one last week about a kid stabbing his mother over a video game). These crimes are not caused by disputes over TV or video games, they are the result of family problems and emotionally disturbed people. The disputes may be asinine, but the underlying issues are obviously quite serious and have deep and significant causes.

SmithinJapan

people here snap for literally NO reason at all

While I agree with your basic idea, I think instances of parricide stem from a culmination of pressure. Years of gaman and ganbaru-style 'advice' from both parents and teachers, years of not being able to blow up and let off steam because it would disturb the wa, and constant humiliation from senpai and/or employers and boom, they snap for no apparent (pun intended) reason.

It would be interesting to find out what this son's life was like before he snapped. Then again, maybe he was just a jerk.

Father: "I want to watch channel 5 with talento eating fish and saying umai!"

Son: "I want to watch channel 6 with talento eating ramen and saying oishii!"

stabbing ensues.

Maybe the son was sick of watching those lame japanese talento shows and wanted to watch CNN or BBC or another english speaking channel like fox crime or something. Having to watch more mindless japanese tv just pushed him over the edge and he attacked his old man. (can almost sympathize with him if that was the case)

But at 50 he should have been out working not sponging of mum n dad like so many here seem to do.

Next time I switch off Kamen Riders I'm going to keep a close watch on my kids

"dad if I don't watch AKB48 on tv today I'm gonna kill you!" so dad says, " shut son, you're too old for them girls". soon after his sin son goes in a rampage......

This is getting completely barmy, every every day, patricide, matricide, fratricide, sororicide(?), infanticide, suicide, er.. et al. What the fook is going on over there?

The son should have used a remote control instead of a knife.

Maybe the father wanted to see another Korean drama ...

50 year old man kills his father...sad, and over a TV channel? Japanese TV channel? pathetic. I am not surprised; just the other day a kid stabbed his mother because she took away his video game. From 50 year old stabbers to teen stabbers, from random stabbings to rage-filled impulsive stabbings, there is no shortage of people stabbing each other in Japan. What do you think tomorrow's stabbing will be? "Woman stabs pinchinko parlor worker" , "Boy stabs brother for kancho-ing him" Your guess is as good as mine.

The son should have bought his own TV. But imagine killing someone just because they want to watch a different set of shouting imbeciles to you.

Smithinjapan - If I was still living with my father at 50, we'd probably kill each other as well. Can you imagine having to live each day of your adult life with your parents in a typical tiny Japanese house? The only surprise here is that it doesn't happen way more often.

im sure its been brewing for a very long time and snap. if a person hasnt found their outlet of release, a person cracks under certain pressures. this goes to all crimes, especially the perverted ones.

Another manly man, in his fifties, sucking on life. Pitiful existence.

Confiscated video game, TV channel, boredom, addiction to cell phones (Akihabara toorima), 4-year old drinking juice without permission, etc. Japanese are certainly very innovative with regards to excuses for committing numerous violent crimes.

supercubFeb. 22, 2012 - 07:24AM JST

I hate these kind of headlines. These crimes are not caused by disputes over TV or video games, they are the result of family problems and emotionally disturbed people.

Supercub: completely agree. It's headlines and editing like this, that make a story sound like something out of a tabloid magazine... and we all respect those tabloids don't we.

If the argument was over terrestrial T.V, I have no idea why the son wanted to change the channel. Basically, it's the same on every station....infotainment, talento and studios filled with the cry of ええええええ!? at 30 second intervals . .... and don't get me started on the talento in a box that appears, wiping tears over a sad story. Jeeeez, do T.V execs really believe we have to be told how to feel ?

Is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot more crimes where members of family are killing/attacking/hurting other members of their family in Japan than other countries? I am not talking about crime in general, which is lower than other countries. There just seems to be quite a lot of incidences of family flipping out and going mentally AWOL on their relatives.

And I agree that it probably wasn't being able to watch Takeshi Beat or whatever that set the son off. There will be history there of some sort. I mean, my hubby drives me wild surfing the channels during commercial break when I know that that movie I've been dying (no pun intended) to watch has probably already resumed but never to the point of stabbing him...or hurting him in any way whatsoever!

Sheesh.... this is so crazy on so many levels.

The idea that there is a Japanese TV program worth killing for is just mind-boggling.

What a great idea. Different reasons to stab someone here in Japan. They should have a stupid game show with points like who can guess what kind of stabbing you can think of like Subway stabbing, coffee shop, convenience store, market,etc. Of course it would have to be over a silly dispute such as the TV program one.

Is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot more crimes where members of family are killing/attacking/hurting other members of their family in Japan than other countries? I am not talking about crime in general, which is lower than other countries. There just seems to be quite a lot of incidences of family flipping out and going mentally AWOL on their relatives.

Not just you. I can't think of any other country that has the number of family crime - be it beating kids, stabbing mom, hitting dad... than Japan. Must be all those wonderful family values and kizuna I keep hearing about from the locals.

On a serious note, I can't think of a country where kids and parents, husband and wives are so disconnected from each other. Head to a cafe/family rest and dad's reading the paper, mom's on her phone, kids are playing games... This is IN public when everyone is on their best behavior. What is it like at home??

@Hoserfea~ You cracked me up there!

Tmarie~ Couldn't agree more. Breaks my heart every morning seeing Mum or Dad marching along in front, eyes superglued to phone with really young kids trailing a few feet behind. It's not normal or maybe that's what normal is becoming. Call me old fashioned but I like to communicate with my family and before my kids hit the terrible teens where mummy becomes one of the 'uncool presences' in their lives for a few years, I am going to seize every moment to keep those communication channels open.

Maybe he wanted to watch Law and Order.

I seriously believe that the wife/mother was behind all of this. Now that the son is off to jail, and the husband/father is gone, she has the TV all to herself!!!!

I wonder what program he needed to watch so bad?

NTV or NHK, my guess.

One too many "Ooooishiiii!!"?

Perhaps if this guy had a job that kept him busy he wouldn't have to watch stupid variety shows on TV (that JT posters seem to know about). I only ever watch the 11 o'clock news.

We can narrow down the possibilities of what they were watching by looking at the time it happened. She called the cops at 3:30, meaning the show must have been on around 3 or so? There aren't that many channels... But one things for sure - it couldn't have been any good.

I concur with many of you. Terrestrial TV is hardly worth fighting over, let alone watching. The selfish nature of people never ceases to surprise me.

Japanese TV is enough to make anybody snap!

@ hoserfella "Smithinjapan - If I was still living with my father at 50, we'd probably kill each other as well. Can you imagine having to live each day of your adult life with your parents in a typical tiny Japanese house? The only surprise here is that it doesn't happen way more often." I agree...

I wonder if still living with the father at 50 cause such situations...I see a lot of these living arrangements too, ...is it common in Japan? or out comes like this due as many mentioned the cramped lifestyle...and the invective and bowdlerizing mental circumstances here....in any event the case was of being killed by an offspring over TV viewing selections...

Poor father. Probably supported his son for years, and this is how he got repaid.

Get your own fricken TV then...IDIOT!

Geeeeezzzzz....I hope he enjoyed his program until the police came. Just curious, I wonder what program he needed to watch so bad?

Cue my comments about raising your kids not to be spoiled brats - regardless of how old they are!

So now the guy thinks he's going to get an extensive cable package in prison? No? Ah, didn't stop a split second before stabbing HIS FATHER. I called this JUST the other day on the article where the boy stabbed his mother in the back over confiscating his video game -- people here snap for literally NO reason at all, and we have yet another example. RIP to the father.

I wonder which programs the arguement was fought over.... any insight?

Maybe it was Ghost busters!

son - "Hey dad can I change the channel?"

dad - "no"

son - "THEN DIE!!!!!"

With Japanese TV in the state that it is, I'd expect more killings for turning the stupid thing on.

borscht: "While I agree with your basic idea, I think instances of parricide stem from a culmination of pressure. Years of gaman and ganbaru-style 'advice' from both parents and teachers, years of not being able to blow up and let off steam because it would disturb the wa, and constant humiliation from senpai and/or employers and boom, they snap for no apparent (pun intended) reason."

Sorry, I didn't literally mean 'no reason', since I know full well that 'snapping' is the result of pent up stress/pressure from whatever cause, what I meant is that they finally snap OVER nothing (ie. something as stupid or everyday as changing the channel -- or NOT changing it -- not passing the remote, someone bumping into you and not saying excuse me, or what have you).

hoserfella: "Smithinjapan - If I was still living with my father at 50, we'd probably kill each other as well. Can you imagine having to live each day of your adult life with your parents in a typical tiny Japanese house? The only surprise here is that it doesn't happen way more often."

Do you think you would still be living with your parents at that age? I could see if it was the 'sandwich generation' thing and they came to live with you instead of going to an old folks' home, but if this guy's still living with them at that age then there are other problems. Yes, I have no doubt it would be extremely stressful. All the same, kids are stabbing their parents, mothers stabbing their kids, boyfriends scalding/stabbing/beating to death their young wife's kids from a previous marriage, etc. That's not even taking into account all the 通り魔 incidents, people pushing others in front of trains for bumping into them and not saying "excuse me", pushing them in front of trains for suggesting they not do make up on the platform or on the train, stabbing young girls because "(they) wanted to see what it was like", etc.

It's not just pressure from living with parents up to that age.

Smithinjapan - If I was still living with my father at 50, we'd probably kill each other as well. Can you imagine having to live each day of your adult life with your parents in a typical tiny Japanese house? The only surprise here is that it doesn't happen way more often

.Heh heh. Especially when you include J-TV into the recipe. I have to admit, J-TV, which I don't watch often, has nearly sent me apoplectic a couple of times. Subjected to it for 50 years, I'd be just about ready ti kill anyone....

@JapanGal~ Now if we were talking 'House' or 'Mefium' oe 'Supernatural' , I think it was probably self defense!

@Samantha & tmarie True and so so sad.

Why not just grab your cellphone and watch it there. Anyway, if you are living with your parents at 50, isnt it time to get your own tv?

They should put him in jail with a tv that only plays the show his father wanted to watch looped continuously.

So did anyone find out what programs they were fighting over? I am dying to know.

Why not buy 2 sets of TV? In my opinion it's a family problem, not on programs they watched. Remember the deposition came from the 50 year old son. So stupid of the son!

As posters above have mentioned - how on earth could anyone believe any of the garbage on TV here is worth killing your own father about?

50 year old son living with parents. That in itself is a clue to this dysfunctional family. Anything that comes after is explainable.

Just when you think you have seen and heard it alll...comes this!! Yokoso...Nippon!

What ANY 50-year old is still doing living with his parents beggars belief. Talk about being a parasite - an extremely violent parasite at that. Rest in Peace to the old fella.

Sam, I don't have kids but there are times I want to take the little ones over, sit them at my table and draw pictures with them so they actually feel important and cared about. Sadly, think about what they'll do with THEIR kids if this is how they're treated by their parents.

Now Now!! you guys Understand why the US have base in Japan? not to protect Japan, but i guess is to keep Japan in check. for a peaceful people the japanese have a short fuse. i cant imagine touching anyone for a stupid TV channel much less my own Family.

Hilarious!

If the father wanted to watch Hexagon, then you can kind of understand the son's actions.