Police in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, have arrested a 51-year-old man on suspicion of obstructing business after he repeatedly made around 440 false emergency phone calls to the prefectural police command and control center.
According to police, Yoshinori Mito, a public junior high school teacher living in Shibata, called the command center in Sendai City around 440 times from February to October 2021, Sankei Shimbun reported. Some of the false emergency phone calls were silent on Mito’s end, while others reported fake incidents.
Police said Mito has partially admitted to the charge but denied making so many calls. Police did not say whether he has given a reason for making the calls.
Mito emerged as a potential suspect after the command and control center traced the phone number visible in the incoming call record log.
© Japan Today
21 Comments
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Kyo wa heiwa dayo ne
440 his lucky number equation for arrest.
Far too many calls before they stopped him.
Kobe White Bar Owner
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elephant200Feb. 10 08:08 am JST
I think he has PTSD after 30 years of student lecturing
PTSD comes from one extreme indecent where C-PTSD comes from constant triggering of one’s fight or flight response. Just pointing out the difference in the name of knowledge not being petty.
Numan
Maybe his trying to get some of that paid teacher sick leave that others on JT were complaining about a week ago.
snowymountainhell
Apparently Mito’s responsible for some of the calls, particularly the one’s he’s admitted to, those ‘caller identified’ as his AND, the reported ‘false incidents’.
Suspect the additional ones he can’t remember might have be unconscious ‘butt-dials’ to the last number called.
snowymountainhell
Japanese teachers are already overworked. Maybe he was calling to report his bosses for forced overtime?
snowymountainhell
440 calls in in eight months? When did he have time to “teach” ? (Plus, a great ‘math’ question for the students.)
purple_depressed_bacon
It took him making this obscene amount of prank calls for the police to finally do something about it?
Downriver
51 years old ? He should know better or he is mad at something.
Paul14
Possibly another sad, lonely person desperate for any kind of attention? Maybe he's been driven mad by the pandemic restrictions? Why doesn't the article give more information about his position in life? Doesn't Japan have the Samaritans? Did he try calling there first? Will he get the mental health support he clearly needs?
Antiquesaving
garypenToday 08:55 am JST
Just a guess but he may have been hiding his caller ID and forgot to do so at some point, or possiblity making the calls from a location such as his schools land line or payphone ( yes there still are some left) the second scenario would mean checking security cameras, school teacher's schedules, etc...
I highly doubt the man was making calls regularly from his personal phone with caller ID on.
But in the event that he had caller ID on and the police took this long, then a complete cleaning out of that police section and installing at least a half intelligent monkey or dog to run it would be cheaper and more efficient.
Eastman
what a "smaaato gai"
what a "fast" police action...wondering why they did not do gaman and wait wait till 500th phonecall?
...
Mocheake
Teach him a lesson: Put a phone in his cell and call him 440 times a day. The new form of punishment.
YeahRight
who is a junior high school teacher. Someone help those poor students.
garypen
It took them 440 calls over 4 months to do that?
Toshihiro
If he was so stressed or pissed off at something, he could've spent that time doing something else and not wasting time on bothering emergency services.
elephant200
I think he has PTSD after 30 years of student lecturing
Tom Doley
Another mentally ill person.
Newgirlintown
What an idiot.