Tokyo Metro apologized Wednesday after two employees failed to open the station at Minami-Asagaya Station on the Marunouchi line in time for the first train.
The two employees, aged 31 and 23, were supposed to start work at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday and open the shutter doors into the station, but both said they had overslept, Sports Nippon reported.
As a result, when the morning's first train arrived at 5 a.m., the 34 commuters waiting outside could not get into the station and the two commuters who got off were stuck on the dark platform.
The driver of the train notified the control center that the station's lights were still off, and the control center called the two employees who were in the station sleeping quarters.
The two employees arrived at 5:10 a.m. and 5:18 a.m.
© Japan Today
47 Comments
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John Galt
Were they oversleeping together? ;p ;p
Alex Einz
best wishes at new job, they better get one with better working hours though
Disillusioned
You are fired!
Bogi
Japan needs more news like this. Enough kidnappings and murders. I love this story!!
SenseNotSoCommon
Another myth shattered.
dcog9065
Wow both of them on the same day.. I feel sorry for the two commuters who got off and were 'stuck on the dark platform'. Must have been pretty frightening
rickyvee
blame it on being drunk...works for everything else.
quercetum
Someone can live three hours away from work , oversleep and get to work 5 minutes late. Doesn't mean they live 5 minutes away.
Those who live closest to the office where I work are the ones who are always late. Those who live far are usually the first ones in.
Worawut Kijsiravej
LOL! Never heard of it in any other country. These two guys probably got fired.
ClippetyClop
I'd be fired within a week in that job, nowt surer
Wilke
@ Disillusioned.
I have been driving trains in Australia for seven years, and only once in that time have I been put on a breathalyser.
Ken Kitsune
wow of all countries this could happen to, Japan the least expected!
DaDude
Well, I have been giving breathalyzer tests to train drivers in Australia for 10 years and we do it daily before the start of the shift.
Fouxdefa
John Galt wins the internet. :)
It makes sense they both overslept if sharing the same room. Perhaps sabotaged by an alarm clock that failed to go off. In any case they sound sleep-deprived!
turbotsat
THREE!?!?
OldHawk
Mamachari?
turbotsat
mainichi:
hereforever
Japanese don't get fired. They are power harassed into quitting. Companies here don't like to have a rep of firing people.
Ms. Alexander
Employees shouldn't be exempt for the "delaying the train system" fee - these two employees should pay JR (regardless of the reason)!
nath
I'd give them a warning and let them resume their duties. It's not like anyone's life was in danger. But if they did it a second time, I would have to show them the door.
Patric Spohn
Cute story :)
shonanbb
Finally Day Light Saving Time perhaps they thought?
ra19arcinas43
More stories like this makes me wake up on time .....
sighclops
I've always wondered how they manage to work those superhuman hours - especially in the very early morning. Well, we're all human! :)
shallots
Hours are too log if a back sleeping room is needed. Try sending people home once in a while to get a life. This is no way to live happily. All work and no play...
danalawton1@yahoo.com
Heck.... hopefully they don't do the normal Japanese thing and over analyze what happened.... seems to me whatever they have been doing works quite well except for this one occasion.
Kabukilover
Probably recent university graduates.
turbotsat
This sounds like a reason to automate the station opening.
Couldn't customers press a big button marked "Attention, Staff!" when no one showed up? With comm system?
There were two employees at one place I worked who alternated sleeping during night shift when they were both supposed to be awake and monitoring. Til one morning the supervisor walked in at start of his shift, and one employee was snoring in the chair with his feet on the desk and the other was snoring on the portable mattress they'd brought in. Didn't fire them only because it would have to be explained to the customer. But he chewed the heck out of them.
Cricky
Good lord....do they understand they are Japanese? Japanese don't sleep the work is way more important, unbelievable they must be 90% foreign. This is why imergration is a bad idea;-)
Disillusioned
In Australia, all train staff are put on a breathalyser machine before they start work. They are given three chances to fail then they are fired.
Mocheake
Looks like they need a sleeping car in the station for staff usage.
Vernie Jefferies
Haha. They were sleeping inside the station back room. I guess the first train's arrival woke them up.
grjkzz
They were both late? Sounds like they were both taking a nap together.
bjohnson23
whatever excuse the guys had, they more than likely will get reprimanded by a 50% salary cut.
richieirl
Sack the control center Guys , they were not in control , bad system no check in control , the poor guys who over slept should get a bonus for finding the fault in the system . :o :) :o :) ..
Brian Wheway
disillusioned, according to your claims the work force would be all fired by Friday!!
cleo
How would they get to work in time to get ready for the first train, if they have to be there before the stations are open?
nandakandamanda
Nobody at subway station?
Nobody is my friend. Nobody loves me.
Rik314
My, my, my! Aren't we all from perfect societies with perfect employment records! The crap subway and station employees have to deal with would amaze and it hardly ever gets reported - Oh, except when a couple lost their lives going into carriages during the Aum Shinrikyo subway attacks….
LBW2010
34 5 AM commuters? More like 34 5 AM weeknight alkies who missed their last train!
Robert Lacovara
I'm sure booze and karaoke were to blame.
daito_hak
This is literally priceless.
UK9393
They weren't oversleeping, they were 'under awake'. But I tell you, this country is going to the dogs!