Osaka policeman arrested for not paying taxi fare

Of course he copped out and claimed he was drunk and doesn't remember. I believe him.

What an idiot. Slap on the wrist, bow and apologize, end of story.

Good thing Masa kun is Japanese, or he would have been thrown out of the country on his butt

Moderator: Please repost without the last sentence which is, of course, irrelevant.

"But if I really did it..."

Then that's ok then... ;-)

What a twit.

I was drunk and don’t remember the incident. But if I really did it, I want to apologize

Weak sauce!

What a twit.

Spelt with an a...

Tanoue elbowed him, causing a slight injury.

Arrested for not paying taxi fare, but NOT arrested for ASSAULT. I see. I see.

First off, why is this even news? Secondly, it only reiterates how those who are supposed to ''serve and protect'' are nothing but hypocrits and miscreants hiding behind a badge. Enough said. If Japan were to have a new national holiday, let's say ''punch the corrupt cop day'' I'd die a happy man.

Your second point answers your question.

“I was drunk and don’t remember the incident. But if I really did it, I want to apologize.”

Start by accepting the fact that you should be fired. Then be fired, please. Then take alcohol and anger management classes. Then get another job -- perhaps as a taxi driver.

@strangerland. Well, not really. The thing is, cops are cops the world over. They come in all shapes and sizes, if you will. The difference being I'd prefer a J cop to an American cop, or any cop in a backass 3rd world country-sorry for the political incorrectness. Point being, something as trivial as shortchanging a cabby wouldn't make headline news in most countries.

@strangerland. Well, not really. The thing is, cops are cops the world over. They come in all shapes and sizes, if you will. The difference being I'd prefer a J cop to an American cop, or any cop in a backass 3rd world country-sorry for the political incorrectness.

Ok, so? You asked why it's newsworthy, and you even provided the answer. I'm not sure what your comment above has to do with that.

Point being, something as trivial as shortchanging a cabby wouldn't make headline news in most countries.

A cop doing a runner on a taxi would make the local news in many places, but probably not the national news. That's one thing I like about living in Japan - there are few enough murders and other serious incidents, that news like this can make the national level.

Well, you can kiss your fat retirement and benefits goodbye.

My comment above? Let's say something along the lines of ''all idiots are idiots, but some idiots are more idiotic than others.'' The lesser of two evils, or how about the Iranian maxim ''Big Satan and little Satan''

But what is the relevance to your other comment?

Hey man. I've been writing all this while drinking in a bar. I'm not even sure which comment you're even referring to. At worst, I've probably been trolling.

Well, your comments make more sense now that I know you're drinking while posting.

Secondly, it only reiterates how those who are supposed to ''serve and protect'' are nothing but hypocrits and miscreants hiding behind a badge. Enough said.

NOT enough said. The only thing it reiterates is that police officers are human and prone to the same foibles as the rest of us. This guy wasn't "hiding behind a badge" because he was off duty and probably not in uniform. The fact that he was a police officer probably wasn't even mentioned until he was detained. Painting an entire profession with the actions of a relative few never makes sense. I'm reminded of the incidents in the U.S. that made the idiom "going postal" part of the language. A couple of postal workers went on violent rampages within a short period of time and all of a sudden ALL postal workers were considered ticking time bombs.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday. .........Police said Tanoue was on his way home after drinking for three hours with his coworkers and had only 1,389 yen on him.

Drinking on the job perhaps?

@smith

Start by accepting the fact that you should be fired. Then be fired, please. Then take alcohol and anger management classes. Then get another job -- perhaps as a taxi driver.

Funny….made my day.

“I was drunk and don’t remember the incident. But if I really did it, I want to apologize.”

Well that wraps that one up nicely. Glad the matter was resolved promptly.

These Punks make more money than I ever did and I always paid my fare.

“I was drunk and don’t remember the incident. But if I really did it, I want to apologize.”

Whew! For a moment there while reading this I was afraid this sentence wouldn't appear in the article.

Whew! For a moment there while reading this I was afraid this sentence wouldn't appear in the article.

LoL@ Commodore. I was thinking the same. Ohwell I guess stealing a free ride is not nearly as bad as groping a women on the train. The last drunk Cop who did that on a train said the same thing though, "I was drunk, I don't remember"

interesting our resident cop lover Cleo is always absent on these discussions. Wonder why that is?

Yet he probably spent a fortune drinking. Why a young man of this caliber chooses to drink himself to a stupor beats the imagination to begin with... but not very surprising for a country that glorifies drinking to excess.

interesting why our resident cop lover Cleo is always absent on these discussions. Wonder why that is?