Man held for assaulting neighbor over bouncing soccer ball dispute

“I intended to kill him.”

A little angry, are we?

8 p.m.? Trespassing after dark? And this happened how many times before? Ball been bouncing off any walls belonging to the man? Friends making all kinds of noises just next door as they kick the ball at just any time?

Its easy to pass Kawashima off as an anti-soccer anti-teen boy nutcase, but some people are terrorized by their neighbors until they reach a breaking point.

mintgreen, lighten up! Have you been boy playing on the streets? How about the angry guy - may be he doesn't remember his childhood! Or may be he has potatoes in his mouth not to ask his neighbor to tame down the ball playing? Because often in Japan neighbors are strangers. Just like I can't talk to the one that live behind my house. I don't bother to ask him stop his air conditioner which makes terrible sound, but he bashed my 7yo boy and frightened him to death. In my case I am younger and will eventually win but I even didn't go to apologize to the old fart.

Okay... so the kid went back to get Dad and the guy laid him out cold. Very bad sure. But I can tell you a new combini opened next to me last year and now older teens raise hell out in front after midnight (the screams just echo through the building). Breaking glasses, smoking, leaving ramen cups everywhere, HS drop outs I assume. They laugh at anyone who tells them to keep it down and the staff does nothing. A big gaijin went over and grabbed one by the ear and now they are gone. Reason why this dude got the book and confessed to wanting to kill him is he was probably drunk. Call me an a hole but a lot of J kids these days need a shout at if the cops are not doing their jobs. Means if someone is making noise and tossing a ball in your yard (if they get hurt on your property a lawsuit) cops need to step in. This guy should have picked up the phone and put his taxes to use.

In a country with a functional judicial system and real police, making a statement like "I intended to kill him" will get you locked up in the big house for "assault with intent to commit murder". What's it get you in Japan?

"According to police, Kazutaka Kawashima, 35, became enraged when a soccer ball belonging to his neighbor’s 14-year-old son landed on his premises some time after 8 p.m."

And yet another case in which a wound-up Japanese doesn't think before s/he acts. Oh my! A SOCCER BALL landed on your property??? Well of COURSE you should kill the person in question, because in prison soccer balls will never land on your premises! Hope he doesn't mind jail.

I really do wonder, though... do these idiots, who seem a dime a dozen, actually at one point in prison sit there and wonder how they got there?

Kazutaka Kawashima has some serious anger management issues. If I were the cops, I'd definitely put him at the top of the list for "Most Likely to Go on a Killing Spree."

Creepy.

Too bad they don't offer anger management courses/counseling in Japan.

Give him a break. He's probably just a sour Arsenal fan...

Anger issues? Sure. But we have no idea of how long the kid has been annoying the crap out of the neighbour with his ball. I would be pissed if some kid came into my yard at 8pm if I had told the kid to stop hitting the ball into my yard. We don't know if the neighbour complained about it numerous times before. I am certainly not defending the guy who put the smack down but at the same time, some people in this country are so clueless or jerks when it comes to upsetting others. People snap and sometimes I think they have a right to.

"I intended to kill him"

Book him on attempted murder.

Interesting...

"But we have no idea of how long the kid has been annoying the crap out of the neighbour with his ball. I would be pissed if some kid came into my yard at 8pm if I had told the kid to stop hitting the ball into my yard. We don't know if the neighbour complained about it numerous times before . . . People snap and sometimes I think they have a right to."

Tempered by:

"I am certainly not defending the guy who put the smack down . . . "

Uhh, yes, you are.

It doesn't matter if the kid was knocking the ball into this guy's yard a hundred times. That does not justify assault. Nor does it justify attacking and rendering unconcious a father coming to the defense of his child because another so-called adult couldn't keep his anger in check.

That you think it there's some sort of line that can be crossed, allowing a 36-year-old man to slap around a 14-year-old for kicking a ball -- A BALL -- into his yard speaks to far deeper problems within our society than just thoughtless neighbors.

Not defending, just looking at it from a different perspective, shame no one else here can. People on this site are so quick to jump and make opinions without knowing the full story. For all we know, it could have been one hit - again, not defending but you don't know the full story.

A BALL in your yard hundreds of times can get annoying. Like I said, you have no idea the past history.

past issues entitles you to having words, not assault with the intent of death. That would kinda be important knowing the difference between the two

Kawashima has confessed to attacking and injuring Takeda, who was taken to hospital in an unconscious state. Kawashima was quoted by police as saying: “I intended to kill him.”

a) How was he taken to hospital in an unconscious state, if he went home after being hit and brought his father round to the man's house? Makes absolutely no sense and I think either the father told the boy to act on it and therefore should be arrested for wasting police time.

b) The neighbour saying he intended to kill him is a red flag. This guy needs locking up for the safety of everyone!

c) I somewhat sympathise with the guy though...my neighbour's kid used to bounce their ball outside my house every day for a year...the katana came off the wall a few times (the desire to slice the ball up was strong). Now it's just their yappy frickin' poodle that annoys the crap out of me!

@Youdon'tknow

How was he taken to hospital in an unconscious state, if he went home after being hit and brought his father round to the man's house?

It was the father who was taken to hospital unconscious, not the boy.

@Youdontknow - I think the father was taken to the hospital in an unconscious state, not the 14 year old boy.

Incidents like this usually have a history of conflicts between the neighbors.

Saw the Japanese news on this. I think the 35 year old is crazy and I don't want to defend him, but he thought the father and son came to apologize, and when they didn't apologize and the father actually started verbally attacking him, he got pissed. Father should have just simply apologized and that would have been it.

A BALL in your yard hundreds of times can get annoying. Like I said, you have no idea the past history

neither do you, tmarie, yet you assume the boy has kicked the ball into the man's yard a hundred times.

Father should have just simply apologized and that would have been it

bicultural - What kind of father would apologize to someone who has just slapped his son in the face for such an innocuous reason?

wow....me thinks anger management courses are needed here.

This is barely news. Must be a slow day in the crime section.

neither do you, tmarie, yet you assume the boy has kicked the ball into the man's yard a hundred times.

Assuming because I see the way people treat their neighborhood here. Assuming because it is rare for someone here to snap over such a little thing.

Why are YOU making assumptions?

Why are YOU making assumptions?

What assumptions did I make again?

Be that as it may, I've never seen so many so-called adults "snap" as much as I have here in Japan. I see more public outbursts in a typical week here in Japan than I can shake a stick at. Whatever happened to that whole "wa" thing? Did it ever truly exist?

tmarie: "Assuming because I see the way people treat their neighborhood here. Assuming because it is rare for someone here to snap over such a little thing."

Ummm... no it's not. There are near daily reports of people snapping over the smallest of things in Japan. And regardless, even if the kid did it hundreds of times, which you only assume and do not know (while accusing others of assuming too much), it is a VERY minor thing and not at all worthy of assault, let alone attempted MURDER. Stop defending this man.

Wow Mr. Takeda went to defend his kid and came back unconscious?! Yea I think he needs some Karate lessons indeed!! lol

Don't upset the wa!

Just pop the ball next time, or boot it down the street...there is more than 1 way to skin a cat