Passenger arrested for sexual assault on Hawaii-Japan flight

MarkG, I appreciate your sentiment, but you have absolutely all the wrong reasons for it. You're saying we shouldn't hurt women because they're pretty and make babies? (What about women who don't fall into your narrow definitions, it's okay to assault them?) How about we just treat women like PEOPLE. Radical notion, I know.

Will he stay in US or back to Japan?

Since the article states that he is from Hawaii, I see no reason for him to be sent to Japan.

SensatoOct. 15, 2014 - 07:56AM JST What a loser. This guy's Facebook page is still accessible, with one photo showing him with his young son. Apparently he was on his way to Japan to visit his grandmother.

If that is indeed his profile, he is a pretty big guy and has several pictures wearing a martial arts uniform doing various acrobatic moves. Hands together for the three guys who subdued him

The poor girl. I hope she can recover from such a terrible and frightening ordeal. The man deserves strict sentencing regardless of his mental state.

A damn good thing the captain decided to turn the flight back to Hawaii. That nutter might have gone for round two when he woke up and in Japan one can only wonder 'if' anything would have been done but send him back, possibly endangering another flight. This guy will probably now find himself on a 'no fly list' for life.

Poor woman. Horrible to have to endure such violence.

It sounds like a mental case. There are some people who simply should be institutionalized, for their own and societys sake.

Sexual assault? Sounds more like attempted rape.

That is probably because one of the definitions of sexual assault is attempted rape, which is what certainly seems to be the case here.

Depressed people USUALLY don't scream out incoherently. Nor do anxious people, even if they're having a panic attack. (Unless, maybe, it's their first one?)

My guess is schizophrenia. That would explain the multiple medications and the sedatives best, I believe.

there's an emergency button in the can? who knew?

It's more like a "call for assistance" button for people who become indisposed.

Very difficult to escape after trying to rape someone on a plane. Idiot.

OK, this guy is obviously a lunatic if for no other reason where was he going to run to? Open the door and jump?

Hope the girl is OK. Glad the guy is back in the US. He'll be locked up for a while.

Bizarre. And horrifying for the young lady. Hope she's doing okay.

I'm honestly surprised MORE stuff like this doesn't happen on those long flights. An airplane is a pretty bad place to come unglued...

Hope they let the woman and her mom recover in the flight attendants' break room rather than back in with the passengers.

Don't worry, this guy's at the federal detention center in Honolulu. He'll be charged with federal crimes and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Honolulu. He's looking at a very long sentence at federal prisons on the mainland, and won't be flying on JAL or any other airline for a long time.

So he was given sleep medicine after which incident, the shouting part or sexual assault part?

He suffers from depression? Sounds like something more to me.

The man deserves strict sentencing regardless of his mental state.

Unpleasant and dangerous sentiment. So the mentally ill are to be tried and sentenced as if they're sane, just because they behave in a way that society disapproves of?

They used to hang children in England for the same reason....

He sounds mentally ill...strange behavior.

Depressed people don't generally do such things simply because they lose interest in all the things they once enjoyed, sex, sports, outdoor activities etc. and have low energy. This fellow sounds like a manic depressive, in the manic phase where he feels he is Superman with all the energy in the world, in addition to being a gift to women and able to accomplish anything. His mother may have given him an antipsychotic med to slow him down, and he fell asleep. He is clearly a danger to others mental problems or not, he may be sent to a state mental hospital until he is well enough to do time in a federal prison. I wish the victim a complete recovery, I'm sure she has a great deal to forget from having this animal assault her.

wow, he really must be messed up in the head to actually force the crew to screw off the hinges of the door. Was he continually trying to assault the poor woman during the whole time they were getting off the door? Hope she is not too scarred by this incident. They should fully press charges against this man, if he was that much danger to the public because of mental health conditions, he shouldn't have been walking around without proper supervision. Wonder if he was on other drugs than prescription.

Sexual assault? Sounds more like attempted rape.

Rape and Attempted Rape are sub-categories under Sexual Assault.

The man deserves strict sentencing regardless of his mental state.

Sure he does. It's the first sign of an advanced society, right... lock up the mentally ill. Next, the AIDS sufferers and the cancer patients....

The moron needs to be punished severely! Poor girl, only 4 days in Hawaii and this incident on the top of that! I hope she will recover soon!

I hope he gets the bill for the extra fuel that the air liner company has used and also lost revenue, I feel sorry for the lady involved Iam sure she is going to want some counciling to get over this.

Definitely suffering from some kind of mental illness, but they're only going to let that fly so far and he'll still face prison, likely. It's good that they're not taking it lightly. I hope the female victim fully recovers and that this guy gets some proper help while serving whatever punishment he gets. If he is dangerous enough to do these kinds of things, that needs to be known BEFORE the flight.

Can two people fit into those small toilets?

Maybe he is suffering PTSD. What is his background?

Who cares? Lock this monster up. Disgusting.

Can two people fit into those small toilets?

If you bothered to read the story then apparently so.

@MarkG - It seems that a lot of JT Readers do not read very well. I think they misunderstood what you were trying to say. But what you said is very true. Women are undervalued and I, being a man am tired of men under valuing women as well.

@inverse Please read this again.

absolutely beautiful deeper than appearance

meaning they more than JUST their appearance. The guy is not saying that their appearance is anything important at all or has anything to do with it. He is actually saying that there is more to them than that. He is actually highlighting that point. He is not looking at women as mere objects of beauty. Understand?

Anyway, I have no idea why he got so many negative comments. I can only think that people completely misunderstood what he said. People need to take their time and read a bit more carefully. The "wonderful voices" part is neither here nor there though. I like their voices but that has nothing to do with it.

Good job, Mark G. From one man to another. Women are undervalued way too much.

Such outrageous behaviour of passengers do deserve the utmost punishment under the law!

Sexual assault? Sounds more like attempted rape.

DaDudeOct. 15, 2014 - 08:57AM JST So he was given sleep medicine after which incident, the shouting part or sexual assault part? He suffers from depression? Sounds like something more to me.

Indeed. Sedatives are not a component in any straight anti-depressive medications that I know of. There are some in combination depression-anxiety medications, but something stinks here, and this individual was not suffering from "depression".

Maybe he is suffering PTSD. What is his background?

I see no reason for sympathy for a dangerous criminal. He attacked an innocent woman and scarred her for life because of his own problems. Modern societies are far to lenient mostly due to lawyers being judges and the legal profesoisn making billions off of needless cases. In such a situation he is guilty. period. No need for a trial or more cost. and punishment SHOULD BE punshment, That is not an unkind thing to say it is realism and truth. Bad people need to be punished. Or others will do the same things.

After the incident, Tanouye’s mother gave him a dose of his medicine and he fell asleep, the affidavit said.

Seriously, what was this idiot mother doing taking her nutcase, medicated son on a long-haul flight for in the first place? She of all people must have known that he wouldn't have coped with it very well. Yeah, yeah, I know he has rights - but so do the rest of us.

What a loser. This guy's Facebook page is still accessible, with one photo showing him with his young son. Apparently he was on his way to Japan to visit his grandmother.

Here are the gory details of the incident: "The woman, who was returning home to Japan with her mother after a four-day vacation in Hawaii, went to use the restroom about an hour and 45 minutes after takeoff. Tanouye forced his way inside, grabbed her by the shoulders and began to forcefully pull down her pants and underwear. "Tanouye also began to take down his pants and underwear, exposing his penis," the document said."

Wanna bet he's going to be let free, with strict supervision and increased medication? Unfortunately it's illegal to cut out his balls, but he would be the ideal case for this.

Will he stay in US or back to Japan? That is the issue that people will have moving forward

there's an emergency button in the can? who knew?

This angers me when men assault women. Women should be worshiped. They are undervalued in many cultures and overlooked by many men. Women bare for our children, care for us men when in need, absolutely beautiful deeper than appearance, and have wonderful voices. Unfortunately some women like the controlling, arrogant type.

Fortunately their were no injuries. For the guy, I wish she grabbed him and trusted like no tomorrow or punched him where it hurts...a lot! Though that should still leave her stuck in the bathroom with a maniac!