Chiba police sergeant arrested for riding motorbike while drunk in Ibaraki
IBARAKI —
Police in Ibaraki said Wednesday that they have arrested a Chiba police sergeant on suspicion of riding a motorbike while under the influence of alcohol. A prefectural police spokesman told a news conference that the suspect, identified as Masakata Okada, was a police officer from Kashiwa station in Chiba Prefecture.
According to police, at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday night, Okada was apprehended after his bike crashed into a vehicle pulling into a garage. More than 0.15 grams of alcohol per liter was detected in his breath. Police said that Okada admitted being drunk at the time, but explained that he was off duty at the time.
Okada sustained minor injuries in the accident, the police spokesman said.
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31 Comments
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-2
Cricky
Pathetic on so many levels.
-3
Elbuda Mexicano
Thank god this dude was only on a bicycle! I don't wanna imagine this idiot in a car? Truck? Etc ...and drunk as a skunk!!!
-1
Oracle
He was drunk, so this time, it was the bicycle that hit the car. Had been both been sober it would be reported the other way around.
0
cleo
If he'd been sober there probably would have been nothing to report.
-4
Okinawamike
We all know the dummy was riding his bike (drunk) and the car turned in front of him like they do all the time, he was to juiced up to stop.
-3
The Munya Times
Good luck he was off duty otherwise he would have arrested the owner of the vehicle.
-3
HumanTarget
i don't see what the big deal is. Riding a bike drunk is dangerous to a point, sure, but you're mostly only posing a risk to yourself. I used to do it all the time when I lived out in the boonies. I think it's a far more responsible decision than getting behind the wheel.
On a related note, drivers in Japan (for some reason) pay absolutely no attention to people on bicycles. I was hit by a car on three separate occasions (sober) on my way to and from work. Foot, bike and car traffic in this country seems to rely on this sort of mutual chaos where people just do what they please and somehow avoid each other by random chance.
0
smithinjapan
The sad part is that if it goes to insurance instead of an agreed compensation without involving the authorities further, the car will also have to pay because it is the larger vehicle.
-1
iceshoecream
Not entirely. If you are all alone and there aren't any pedestrians or cars passing by, then yes. But if the opposite, then no, it is not dangerous just to yourself. I went to a matsuri the other day and when I left I saw a guy riding his mamachari while hammered (and I really mean it). Saw the guy passing in front of 4 cops controlling the traffic and like they weren't there. I followed the guy and recorded him with my camera. On the video you could clearly see how he was a danger to the pedestrians (little kids walking with their parents) and cars alike when crossing the road. Talked to another cop and pointed at him to what I got "hai, hai, sou desuka.
0
Maitake
gotta love that explanation. mof, I just love it when J-Cops get busted.
0
Nessie
That's a lot of breath.
1
buzzz2000
It's meant to be per liter of blood... It's a blood alcohol reading measured by your breath.. I don't expect you to agree with that though it sounds so silly it can't be true.. But it is..
0
Oracle
buzzz2000Aug. 11, 2011 - 01:10PM JST
Silly or true? I am going with silly. Surely it can tell us if someone has been drinking, but not only is it inaccurate, it can't really tell us if someone is fit to drive or ride a bicycle anyway.
However, he was drinking and hit a car? Well, if he really did hit the car, he probably wasn't fit. But don't imagine that justifies the faith in the breath test.
iceshoecream, the one day of the year the streets are packed with festival goers does not back your point up very well. Particularly since even then, he hit no one. I mean gosh, if we are going to go there maybe drunk people should not be allowed to walk. I mean they do wander into traffic and head on collisions with humans can kill people in a car, as can swerving to avoid said drunk person and hitting something else. Maybe we should just ban alcohol altogether? Cars too?
2
CrazyJoe
The cop was riding a motorbike and not a bicycle.
0
It"S ME
Ouch.
One reason why Bike should refer to a Motorbike and Cycle to a Bicycle. Lumping them together into "Bike" causes above confusions and many misunderstanding globally.
-1
MeguA
Um, the word 'motorbike' is used in both the headline and in the first paragraph of the article.
Moderator
The early version of the story was mistaken. It has since been corrected.
0
smithinjapan
Anyway, if police were actually worried about drunken driving they could sit outside of any izakaya at any given time and make a mint. My favourite in the bicycle drinking cases is when the local PTA decides to go on a bender and all park their 'Patororu-chuu' bikes outside the izakaya while they get ripped and then ride home. They announce they will have said party well before-hand, too.
This guy must have been seriously screwed to get caught.
0
Asagao
Poor policeman will probably be teased when he returns to work after his one week suspension with pay.
0
Al Stewart
what is the legal limit in japan?
1
Okinawamike
what is the legal limit in japan?
Well if your on the wrong end of that glowey stick thingy, it's.000001!
0
Oracle
Stating this simple fact is HIGHLY appreciated. Thank you for that.
Or course I feel about the same about driving a motorbike after drinking about the same as I do a car.
-3
JapanGal
Motor, loaded, jail
0
kurisupisu
The car driver will have to pay about 10% from their payout. The inane rules that Japan has makes sure that nobody is totally blameless.
0
naruhodo1
Most of us who drink and drive (car or motorbike) here in japan, including myself, do so because we can and there is a lesser chance of getting caught than lets say riding ur cycle. Did u know riding a bicycle under the influence is also illegal? But here in Japan cops RANDOMLY stop cyclists and not motor vehicles. The only way to get caught for any sort of driving violation in Japan is via a police trap or on Highways for speeding. Otherwise, u can go through a red light, not have ur seatbelt on etc and a cop sees you but he/she is not on trap duty, they just look the other way and cant be bothered (especially in traffic!). Hint, most seatbelt traps are set up at the entrance of highways. Speed traps on the highway. And there are specific dates that police go out in the city and set up traps to collect their quota (sorry i forget the dates, but ask any j guy and they would know). Again i think drinking and driving is ok if you have a few drinks or not plastered. And late at nig ht, there are no kids and much less traffic. Now if ur seeing doubles or close to your limit, then i dont promote that!! (I actually obey traffic laws by going the speed limit, not going through amber lights, etc when ive had a few drinks as oposed to being sober!)
0
Oracle
naruhodo1, the new drunk driving limit is just a sneaky way to increase revenue. You forgot the number one reason why people do drive after a few drinks. Its because most of them get home just fine.
1
lucabrasi
Sure they do. It's just that the ones who don't get home just fine have a nasty habit of killing or maiming other road-users as a result of their selfish stupidity.
0
Nessie
@gogogo
My point is that the conventional units are mililiters, not liters.
0
Asagao
I000000 yen per customer is good business, plus the 200000 yen per passenger.
0
Fadamor
OK Metric Wizards, educate me. I didn't know "grams" were a unit of measure for liquid volume. I thought a gram was a unit of weight for solids. As alcohol is a liquid, the only way I could see there being 0.15 grams of alcohol in a litre of his breath would be if the alcohol had been cooled to -114 C (-173.2 F) so that it had frozen into a solid. I think if that were the case, this driver would have had much bigger problems than a drunk driving charge.
-1
Ayler
I hope you get arrested and your license taken away
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