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A 36-year-old woman who was arrested for pepper spraying a man at Takadanobaba Station train station in Tokyo last month has been sent to an institution by the Tokyo District Court.
The court made the ruling on Friday, saying that Yumiko Tsukakoshi, who lives in Nerima Ward, is not mentally fit to stand trial but that she should be committed to an institution because she poses a danger to others, Fuji TV reported.
Tsukakoshi was arrested on assault charges after she used pepper spray to injure nine passengers, aged 13 to 42, on the platform of the Seibu Shinjuku Line at around 5:30 p.m. on Sept 28. All nine were taken to hospital.
Police said Tsukakoshi sprayed the can first at the neck of a 32-year-old man. Station surveillance camera footage led them to Tsukakoshi. A can of pepper spray was found at her home.
Following her arrest, Tsukakoshi denied the charge and said she never went to Takadanobaba Station. Afterwards, she told police she had been “a victim of groping.” Tsukakoshi, who claims to work in the entertainment industry, said the man she sprayed looked like a man who had groped her on the train once before.
© Japan Today
18 Comments
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sensei258
atarimae, atarimae, atarimae taiso.
Dan Lewis
Double standards.
Rosemary Aud Franklin
I hope that institution was a hospital.
nath
While her actions were over the top, the government's actions are even more so. It occurs to me she's being punished for a series of bad lifestyle decisions and being used as an example.
Strangerland
It depends. She pepper sprayed a number of people, that's beyond a bad lifestyle decision, and deserves a court judgement, however if she truly is not fit to stand trial, which I would hope was determined by people who are qualified to do so, then an institution is the right place to put her, as presents a danger to the public.
Disillusioned
So, that's one nutter locked up. Only a few more million to go.
serendipitous
anotherexpat
'Bad lifestyle decisions'!!?? Is that just a nice way of saying 'crimes'?!
nath
I was referring to previous reports of her neighbor's complaints about her choice of attire and deportment, alleged involvement in what might be euphemistically called "compensated dating" and work in the AE industry.
smithinjapan
anotherexpat: The woman assaulted nine people. She then lied to police, and after that lied again. "Bad lifestyle choices"? Doesn't matter what you say you were referring to after the fact, you said in your original comment that the government actions were over the top. The actions weren't in relation to her choice of attire or deportment -- they were in response to the danger she poses to others, which is obvious.
Tamarama
I wonder if she was inspired by the AstoBoy theme?
dcog9065
Great decision by the court! This woman is a menace
Aly Rustom
Isn't that good ol Pants chan? Good to see her in the news again!
Spanki
Has anyone here ever been sprayed with that stuff? Does it really require hospitalization?
Strangerland
I was at a house party once where the police sprayed it through the window. I didn't get hit, but the people who did were in a pretty rough way - I could see someone with breathing issues needing hospitalization.
There are also different levels of it, as far as I understand, bear spray is pepper spray, but much, much stronger than the stuff made to use against humans. Getting hit with that may require hospitalization.
Nessie
Bear spray contains capsaicin, which in rare cases can kill you by messing with your breathing. Pepper spray to deter humans uses a synthetic equivalent, usually pelargonic acid vanillylamide, which is less harmful.