Posted in: 70,000 commuters delayed by quarrel over cell phone on train in Chiba See in context
Soreleftarm here.
Thanks for all your support and comments.
I just want to let you all know how things worked out after this story became old news.
I was interviewed by a police detective and the case was sent to the Chiba Prosecutor's Office, where it was tried as a violation of Penal Code Sec. 208 (Assault) and the assailant was given a 200,000 yen fine.
I filed for civil damages, and the case went to arbitration. In arbitration, I agreed to settle on 320,000 yen in compensation.
This may not seem like a lot for some of us, but it is pretty much the standard for Japan.
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Posted in: In protest See in context
@imacat: I saw one that was in urban camouflage parked in a Mini Stop parking lot at night.
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Posted in: Prosecutors: Berlusconi had many prostitutes See in context
This is happening because of Hilary Clinton. (Go check Wikileaks)
The U.S. is way to worried that Berlusconi will lead Italy into a partnership with Putin, giving Russia a partner in the EU.
What better way to make him fall, and cut off Putin, than to smear him as a pedo.
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Posted in: Drinks all round See in context
He says "Coke is Coke" but I'd Pepsi Challenge anyone to try lining up Coca-Cola from Japan, U.S., Mexico, and then tell me that they're the same. They're different.
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Posted in: Chiba cop arrested for allegedly groping woman on train See in context
Every time this comes up my mother-in-law says "How come this doesn't happen to me?"
And we all laugh...
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Posted in: Woman allegedly killed by neighbor after seeking police help on 5 occasions See in context
@ExportExpert
That 60-something cohort is known for their spontaneous violence.
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Posted in: 70,000 commuters delayed by quarrel over cell phone on train in Chiba See in context
I’d like to clarify the events that are depicted here because they are inaccurate and also because I was involved in the incident. The first thing to make very clear was that there was never any argument or discussion about the use of cell phones or Priority Seats. What happened was a case of assault. To best understand how this is so, I will put the events in timeline format. 0625 – I got on the JR Sobu local train leaving from Tsudanuma to Mitaka to go to an early work assignment in Tokyo. I sat in car nine, at the front of the car, in the Priority Seat. There were only a few open seats between other passengers in the regular seats, and I decided to sit in the Priority Seat to not disturb other passengers. I got out my iPhone and earplugs and connected them, and started iPod to watch a video file. 0627 – Train arrived at Higashi-Funabashi. A Japanese man, 63-years-old, wearing a grey suit and blue striped tie boarded the train and directly started yelling very loudly in Japanese at me. He said something about cardiac pacemakers, the Priority Seat, and cell phones while pointing at the sign to my left and tapping it. I ignored him and he sat down across from me in the Priority Seats on the other side and closed his eyes. At that time, I thought that he was just an unhappy man and would soon go to sleep. 0628 – The man opened his eyes, stood up, and came over to me and began yelling “No Phones” again. He was at a normal distance from my knees. 0629 – The man started yelling even louder and pointing and shaking his finger in my face. He was so agitated that when he yelled, spit flew out of his mouth and hit me in the face. His distance closed to the point where his knees hit mine. 0630 – Train arrived at Funabashi. The man continued to yell even louder and point and shake his finger very close to my face (within 10cm of my nose) with a clenched fist below it. I raised my left arm above my face to protect myself, and the man began to hit my arm and wrist with his hand while violently shaking his finger in my face. I called out in Japanese yelling “I’m afraid, please help” several times, but none of the other passengers came to my aid. 0634 – Train arrived in Nishi-Funabashi. The man attempted to grab my iPhone, and we struggled. Once I regained control of my iPhone, I dialed 110 and tried to tell the police what was happening. The man continued yelling and hitting my arm as he shook his finger and hand in my face. 0636 – Train arrived in Shimosa-Nakayama. The man started to grab and yank the shoulder strap of my bag (which was slung across my chest) in an attempt to pull me out of the seat. He began yelling very loudly “Out of the seat” over and over. After the man failed to pull me out of the seat, he switched back to yelling and hitting my arm as he shook his finger and hand in my face. The police called back again, and I successfully told them that I was actually in the train. 0639 – Train arrived in Moto-Yawata. The man began to yank my left arm (which I had been using to protect my face) very strongly in an attempt to pull me out of the seat, while still yelling “Out of the seat” over and over. After the third or fourth attempt to pull me out of the seat by yanking my arm very strongly, the man gave up that approach and returned to pointing and shaking his finger violently in my face, while hitting my arm (which I again raised to protect my face) and screaming in nearly unintelligible Japanese. 0642 – Train arrived in Ichikawa. The man continued to point and shake his finger in my face, hitting my arm while screaming. As soon as the train stopped, a JR employee came to my aid and pushed the man away from me. Another JR employee told me to wait on the platform. The man sat down and the JR employees started to argue with him. A struggle broke out when the man refused to get off the train. The police arrived and began to struggle to get the man off the train. Finally, they were able to get the man off the train. I noticed that the JR employees’ neckties had come off, and one police officer’s body armor had come off in the struggle. The time when the struggle ended was about five minutes later. After the struggle, I went with the JR employees and police into the station office, and later the Ichikawa Ekimae Koban. The police conducted a normal and professional investigation of the facts. The police told me that the man admitted to having done the same thing before as well. After some time with the police, the man said that he wanted to apologize to me, and I allowed it on the condition that he admit to what he had done and write out and sign a document promising to pay for medical costs and damages. He agreed to this, and wrote out and signed the document, which I accepted. I went straight to an orthopedic doctor to be seen for my injuries. They were “left arm and forearm muscle bruising” requiring an estimated three weeks to heal. As I was in shock, I also was seen by a psychiatric doctor and the diagnosis was “low-level trauma resulting from a violent incident.” I was given medication for both conditions and released. After seeking legal advice on Wednesday, I went to the Ichikawa Ekimae Koban and filed charges for damages to my person on Thursday. I firmly believe that I am the victim of a simple assault, and that the portrayal of the incident in the media is flawed. I also believe that the cause of the train delays was the man and not myself. Regarding the Priority Seat issue, I do recognize that JR East does have a sticker asking passengers to turn off their phones in the Priority Seat area. I sat in that area and had a phone, and of that I am guilty of bad manners. I am sincerely sorry about this point. However, I do not believe that my bad manners in any way gave the man any right to become a type of “manner enforcer” and attack me. Once he used physical force, he lost any possible argument. I am a permanent resident here in Japan, and what happened on Tuesday seemed to be a pre-retirement baby boomer totally flipping out and going psychotic on a random stranger. I think that this is a symptom of their generation, who are unhappy generally with the way that the end of their working years is not fitting with the image that they had of how the world would be.
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Posted in: Man dies after falling into river while clearing snow from bridge in Niigata
Posted in: Japanese foreign minister asks Rubio for exemption from Trump tariffs
Posted in: Japanese foreign minister asks Rubio for exemption from Trump tariffs
so I don’t want to live in snow country.
Posted in: Man dies after falling into river while clearing snow from bridge in Niigata