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crime (Page 69)

Japanese Woman Dies after Heavy-Set Police Officer Sits on Her

Master Blaster
Apr 25, 2013
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In Sakai City, Osaka last November a woman in her 40s died from a case of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a condition that occurs when oxygen is cut off from the brain.

A possible cause of the HIE is suspected to have been the 100kg (220lbs) police officer who had sat on the woman’s back like one would on a pony.

Japan
(crime • Osaka • police • weight)

14 Year-Old Girl’s Crime Spree Thwarted by Suzuka Police, Motive: To Laugh at Daikon Getting Run Over by Cars

Master Blaster
Apr 24, 2013

The noble daikon is a beloved vegetable of Japan with a wide range of culinary uses along with other uses like carving huge phalluses, making cute calendars, or avant-garde musical instruments.

However, during two days in December of last year 100 daikon were mercilessly snatched from their homes and brutally crushed in Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture.

After a tireless investigation the police announced on 22 April that the culprits have been apprehended. The ringleader was an unnamed 14 year-old junior high school girl with a very strange motive indeed…

Japan
(crime • daikon • wtf)

Not So Smooth Criminal: Woman Tries to Pay With Obviously Photocopied Yen

Jessica
Apr 20, 2013

An unemployed young woman was arrested in Shizuoka Prefecture this week after she tried to pay at a convenience store with an obviously photocopied counterfeit bill. The master criminal’s excuse? “I was in a bind because I didn’t have any money.” Read More

Japan
(crime • dumb • wtf)

Sword-Wielding Father Kills Man in Street Fight, Japanese Media Focus on Sword’s Provenance

Jessica
Apr 15, 2013

This week in Beijing, the trial began for a 45-year-old man accused of killing a man with a samurai sword after he picked a fight with the man’s 23-year-old son. The incident occurred on October 19 last year and started over an argument on the bus. Read More

China, Japan
(crime • wtf)

Japanese Man Charged with Poisoning Co-Worker’s Shoe

Master Blaster
Mar 31, 2013

Imagine the horror of having your toes suddenly start to die and need amputation for seemingly no reason. Then imagine it turned out to be the result of a colleague attempting to kill you.

This bizarre situation has been reality for one unnamed woman in Yamanashi Prefecture for the past four months. A fellow employee, 40-year-old Tatsujiro Fukuzawa, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder on 28 March.

Japan
(crime • poison • shoes)

Criminals of Japan’s Edo Period Were Often Punished by Getting Face Tattoos

Master Blaster
Mar 14, 2013

Japan has had a complicated relationship with tattoos over its history. Unlike in most western countries where it’s simply considered a form of expression or drunkenly poor decisions, currently body art is generally looked down upon in Japanese society despite having some of the best artists and techniques in the world.

And yet most people in Japan are unaware that not too long ago, for a time during the Edo Period (1603-1868) the go-to form of punishment for non-violent crimes was a tattoo right in the center of your forehead.

Japan
(crime • culture • Edo • tattoo)

Japanese Man Arrested on Suspicion of Giving Kids a Paper Route

Master Blaster
Mar 5, 2013

Back in the day, delivering the morning newspaper was an honor bestowed on one lucky neighborhood child who could earn some cash and tips of peanut-butter M&M’s in exchange for providing their neighborhood with news from the world. Now, the local paperboy is a rare, if not extinct, breed.

In Sakai City, Osaka, one father has been arrested on suspicion of violating the Child Welfare Act after allegedly deciding to instill the values of hard work and responsibility which come with a paper route in his own children.

Japan
(crime • newspaper • Osaka)

T is for Thievery: Surprising Identity of Osaka Elementary School Bandit Discovered

Master Blaster
Mar 1, 2013

From November last year until this January, Nozato Elementary School in Osaka City had been the scene of a string of robberies. In 16 different incidents, up to 235,000 yen (US$2,500) was stolen from the wallets of teachers who worked there.

However, thanks to the efforts of one vigilant teacher, the culprit was finally identified and dealt with on 28 February.

Japan
(crime • Osaka • school)

Woman Despairs Over the Size of Her Son’s Penis, Drowns Him in the Bath

Philip Kendall
Mar 1, 2013

In by far the saddest news story of the day so far, a 38-year-old Indonesian woman has been arrested after drowning her son in the family bathtub, giving the reason that his penis was “too small” for him to possibly enjoy a happy life.

Oceania, SE Asia
(bathtub • crime • sad • weird)

Nagoya Teen Arrested for the Attempted Murder of His Own Father

Philip Kendall
Feb 27, 2013

A 15-year-old junior high school student in Aichi Prefecture, Japan has been arrested for the attempted murder of his father after stabbing him with a knife.

Japan
(crime • news • video games)

Survey Shows 85.2% of Japanese People Are In Favor of Death Penalty, Others Demand “Something Worse”

Master Blaster
Feb 25, 2013

On 21 February, Japan hanged a trio of convicts for murders including the kidnapping death of a young girl and a stabbing rampage which left nine dead. Those executed were Masahiro Kanagawa, Kaoru Kobayashi and Keiki Kano (nee Muto).

As always, these hangings drew outrage from Amnesty International and the Japanese Federation of Bar Associations who made a statement saying they find “these executions unacceptable.”

However, this opposition is largely ignored by the government of Japan who maintains that the population at large supports their policy of penalty by death.

To confirm this, the following day, the Research Panel website posted the results of a survey conducted of 29,364 people asking them how they felt about the death penalty.

Japan
(crime • death penalty • survey)

Tweet Threat: “Random Attack at Gifu Station” 【Updated】

Philip Kendall
Feb 25, 2013

The above pictured tweet was posted at 1:27 p.m. JST yesterday. Despite ending with a smiley emoticon, the harrowing message openly states that “a random attack” will take place at 10 a.m. on the Japan Rail Gifu station, Gifu Prefecture, at around 10 a.m. today.

Internet, Japan
(crime • threat • twitter)

Asahi Newspaper Worker Helps His Company by Punching Out Pachinko Machine

Master Blaster
Feb 19, 2013

Any owner of a large corporation would be proud to have someone like Tomohiro Kimura on their payroll. This selfless employee really took one for the team by getting himself arrested on 17 February in Wakayama Prefecture on suspicion of destruction of property. In doing so he helped to generate more news for his employer, Japanese media giant, Asahi Shinbun.

Japan
(crime • pachinko • Wakayama)

Register Rage: Osaka City Official Arrested for Allegedly Punching Out Register’s LCD Display

Master Blaster
Feb 11, 2013

On 6 February, Osaka Prefectural Police announced that a 45-year-old man working for the Osaka City Construction Bureau had been arrested on suspicion of destruction of property.

In what could best be described as “register rage” the man was upset with the speed of the cashier and took his aggression out on the store’s age verification check with his fist.

Japan
(convenience store • crime • Osaka)

Pervert News: Man Asks for Directions, Informs Woman He is Going Commando 【News Nibble】

Philip Kendall
Jan 29, 2013

Officials in the city of Sanda, Hyogo Prefecture, have released a statement urging women to be on their guard after a man stopped to ask a woman directions on the street before telling her that he was going without any underwear.

Japan
(crime • pants • pervert • weird)

Two Japanese Police Sergeants Arrested for Kissing Female Officers and Demanding they Swap Clothes, Police Were Immediately on the Scene

Master Blaster
Jan 22, 2013

Two members of the Kanagawa Prefecture Police Force were arrested late last week on charges of extortion. Sergeants Mori and Arakawa of the Traffic Division and Organized Crime Unit, respectively, are believed to have abused their higher rank in order to coerce two female junior police officers into exchanging clothes in front of them. Sgt. Mori, meanwhile, is facing assault charges after he is believed to have attempted to kiss the pair.

Full details after the jump.

Japan
(crime • harrassment • police)

Father Bites and Kills Own Son for Being “Possessed by a Snake”

Master Blaster
Jan 21, 2013

Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture was the site of a bizarre death of 23 year-old Takuya Nagaya at the hands his father, Katsumi Nagaya. The victim was repeatedly assaulted including bites before succumbing to injuries.

The father having been arrested on suspicion of assault had said “I did it to drive out the snake that had possessed him.”

Japan
(assault • crime • snake)

Japanese Teacher Suspended for Hugging Students While Singing to Them

Master Blaster
Jan 18, 2013

When I was a junior high school student my music teacher used to jab a meter stick into my gut while I played Mary Had a Little Lamb on the trumpet. Good times.

Still, that guy could win teacher of the year next to a 55 year-old man who was suspended from his Shonan Ward high school in Kanagawa Prefecture for inappropriate behavior with some female students.

How inappropriate? For starters, he composed an original love ballad.

Japan
(crime • education • music • police reports)

Japanese Lotto Stand Employee Arrested for Lying to Customer About $6,000 Winning Ticket

Master Blaster
Jan 10, 2013

Working at a lottery counter or kiosk must be a drag. You have to watch other people win big and hand over cash everyday while probably making a less than stellar salary yourself.

So it comes as no surprise that one lotto shop employee in Sakai city succumbed to the temptation to pocket someone else’s big winning ticket for herself and telling them they lost.

Japan
(crime • fraud • LOTO6 • lottery)

Serial Tree Killer on the Loose in Western Japan, 14 “Sacred Trees” Poisoned So Far

Master Blaster
Dec 29, 2012

Scattered across the landscape of Japan are Shinto shrines of various shapes and sizes. In many of the larger shrines you’ll find one or more especially old trees known as Goshinboku which means “sacred tree.”

Sacred trees are usually massive in size and centuries old with some reportedly over 1,000 years old. You can usually tell them from the shimenawa wrapped around their trunks. A shimenawa is an extremely thick rope which encloses something holy and wards off evil from outside.

These age-old trees are beautiful specimens of nature’s strength and longevity and add an extra level of serenity to their shrines. However, in the past month someone or some group has been killing off these sacred trees of shrines in 5 separate prefectures in Japan’s mid-west.