OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 56-year-old man for allegedly damaging a a seat for West Japan Railways train on Thursday, reports TV Asahi (Mar. 20).
At around 7:30 p.m., Masaaki Hanagata, a company employee, allegedly used a utility knife to slash the seat on a JR Yamatoji Line train between Kyuhoji and Kashiwara stations.
Upon his arrest, Hanagata admitted to the charges. He said, “I’ve done it 50 to 60 times before. I was angry about the frequent delays and cancellations, and the difficult-to-use design of the trains.”
According to the police, JR West Japan had contacted them about a series of incidents involving damaged train seats.
Since 2022, there have been about 300 similar incidents on West Japan Railways trains, mainly on the Yamatoji Line.
Police are continuing the investigation to determine if Hanagata was behind those other incidents.
AloJapan.com