A man slashed a 73-year-old employee at a supermarket in Osaka on Friday after he wanted to exchange a plastic bottle of salad oil for another and was turned down, police said.
According to police, the incident occurred at the Super Tamade Tengachaya store in Nishinari Ward at around around 8:55 a.m. Friday, Sankei Shimbun reported. The man came into the store with the salad oil and said he wanted to exchange it for a new one. As it was already open, the employee refused.
The man started arguing with the employee. Witnesses said he became enraged, pulled out a knife and slashed the employee in the left thigh before fleeing from the store. The employee was taken to hospital where his condition was reported as not serious.
Police said they are examining store surveillance camera footage to try and identifier the attacker who appeared to be in his 70s.
© Japan Today
18 Comments
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madmel
"MMWKDW:
It IS Illegal to carry a "Dangerous Weapon" (such as a knife) IF it is over 6Cm in length? (anyone, anyone) in Japan...just like it is in most countries."
Not just like in most countries. A knife regardless of length is only a "weapon" when used as such. It is a tool otherwise. In Canada and many states you can carry knives over 6cm if they are not concealed. You could walk around with a Katana if you wanted to but why would you attract that kind of attention.
sir_bentley28
Come on now........! It was opened? Common sense, people! Doesn't he know that once the seal is broken damaged, the product is null and voided?
Luddite
He went to the supermarket looking for a fight.
Vinke
He might actually just want to go to prison. Sadly.
https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-aging-prison-2018-3
Vinke
@Ed Rowe
From the article:
"Police said they are examining store surveillance camera footage to try and identifier the attacker who appeared to be in his 70s."
Pukey2
Just what exactly is salad oil? Is this yet another wasei-eigo concoction? Salad dressing or vegetable oil?
Ed Rowe
You need to read slowly and carefully...the customer was not 73..the supermarket clerk was....
WA4TKG
MMWKDW:
It IS Illegal to carry a "Dangerous Weapon" (such as a knife) IF it is over 6Cm in length? (anyone, anyone) in Japan...just like it is in most countries.
madmel
By the comments above is it not normal or legal to cary a pocket knife in Japan? The intent is obviously different but I have had a knife in my pocket for over 45 years. Never needed or wanted to use it in that fashion.... even when in a fight with a guy that broke into my house! I know many Japanese chefs often cary knife cases but again not for this stupidity.
Fox Sora Winters
The fact that they were carrying a knife is all the evidence necessary that this was pre-meditated. There's no need for anyone to carry a knife anywhere (except in certain jobs, but even then those knives tend to have safety features to prevent this exact kind of usage), yet this guy clearly intended to use it to harm someone. I hope the attacker gets caught and properly reprimanded, and that the colleague recovers well. The last thing anyone needs during this Coronavirus pandemic is to be hospitalised, especially not due to some dangerous individual who thinks it's acceptable to slash people over something so trivial.
mmwkdw
It should be illegal to carry a dangerous weapon such as a knife on ones person.
Was the receipt produced to validate purchase of the original product ?smithinjapan
Nishinari, eh? Big surprise -- that place is a hole, and a lot of Osaka's crime occurs there. And what a sad old man that had to pull out a knife and attack someone over some salad oil, which the employee was right to refuse to exchange. The "big, strong" knife-wielding oyaji will probably break into tears at the Koban, pulling off his sunglasses at night to wipe his eyes, then throw out ridiculous excuses before becoming "enraged" again with the police and making laughable eye-popping-out-of-head movements as he rolls his Rs in unintelligible and laughable speech sounds. And then he'll get the pants sued off him for compensation... which since he was crying over salad oil... well...
oldman_13
Some of these older people have serious bad attitude and hostility in their age.
WilliB
Oh my. The geriatric crime wave again?
thepersoniamnow
I did a 11km jog this afternoon and went through the Nishinari area. The worst was Tengachaya Kita.
Theres still full on permanent shack homes in the parks and drunk people lying literally in the street.
A little shocking coming from downtown Namba.
Vince Black
A man in his 70s walking around with a knife. Wisdom clearly doesn’t come with age, once a loser always a loser I guess.
Mlodinow
The fact that he had a knife on him indicates he went there with the intent to injure someone if he was refused. No salad oil in prison mate!