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Aichi prefectural police have arrested a 50-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business after he refused to get off a shinkansen (bullet train) and remained inside the restroom.
According to police, Koichi Takanaga, from Shiga Prefecture, was seated on the Tokaido Shinkansen operating between Kyoto and Nagoya on Friday, Sankei Shimbun reported. A conductor approached him at around 4:25 p.m. for a ticket check and asked him to wear a face mask. Instead of complying with the request, Takanaga went to the restroom, where he remained for the rest of the trip.
While in the restroom, he yelled out, “You can take me, a customer, hostage and cause a riot if you want.”
The incident caused a 23-minute delay in train operations when Takanaga refused to get off the train at Nagoya Station.
Central Japan Railway Co (JR Tokai) had earlier contacted police about a male passenger who claimed to be infected with COVID-19. Police are trying to confirm whether Takanaga made these claims.
There were about 800 passengers on the shinkansen at the time of the incident.
© Japan Today
13 Comments
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Speed
Is this the same guy that wouldn't wear a mask on a plane and at a test?
Thomas Tank
They should have just taped the door shut and left him there. Much better than inconveniencing hundreds of others.
AustPaul
Best to leave dealing with the nutters to the local police I’d say.
Sven Asai
This is nothing, compared with other countries, where all the corona psychos already attack police, destroy cars or shop, hinder ambulance to help, wield knives and guns, rape women at daylight even in city centers and all such and a lot more. So this crazy guy in the Shinkansen toilet is still very well behaved and extraordinarily peaceful with his little ‘protest’ activity. lol
3RENSHO
JT poster Sven Asai presents a very logical case -- no shots were fired; no-one was brutalized by police; no patrol cars or police stations were burned...and the Shinkansen toilet was still spotlessly clean after the perpetrator's arrest. This is Japan!
TARA TAN KITAOKA
Many strange things are happening. Why???
Mr Kipling
This is one of the rare cases when a short, sharp beat down would have been in order. Toilet doors on shinkansens are easily opened from outside. His "attitude" could have been quickly corrected, and everyone could have been on their way.
ClippetyClop
If a man not wearing a mask on a train warrants beating up then I think that in your mind there aren't many 'rare cases' that aren't deserving of a violent solution.
Have a glass of perspective fella, his 'attitude' was unlikely to be corrected by a kicking in the toilets. Weird people are all around us, you don't need to batter every one of them into normality. An unusual situation was settled peacefully and with minimum fuss or delay.
snowymountainhell
No. It’s NOT the same ‘mask-refusing’ guy. Maybe it’s an ambiguous rule but, we obviously can’t refer to similar incidents. From the lack of viewable posts since 5pm, it’s apparent that speculations and accusations without trial in a court of law should be left to media.
Mark
Should have flushed him, end of the story.
Mr Kipling
Clippity..... 800 people were delayed for over 20 minutes. A quick slap and dragging off would have taken less than a minute. Problem solved.
ClippetyClop
OK, let's assume I agree with your colourful solution. Who gets to administer the slapping? Is there a designated uniformed thug on every train? And what if the fellow turns out to be quite tasty himself and it takes more than a minute?
asiafriend
Why all the commotion? The truth will come out in the end, or at least something will.