Man arrested for assaulting guards upon release from Tochigi prison
TOCHIGI —
A 50-year-old man was arrested for assault on Wednesday, accused of punching three prison guards as he was being escorted out of Kurobane Prison in Otawara City, where he had just finished serving his one-year prison term.
Police said Teruhisa Fukushima, an unemployed man of no fixed address, was sentenced to one year in prison after being found guilty of theft last year. When prison officials returned his possessions and finalized his release at around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Fukushima claimed they hadn’t returned his nails he cut while in prison.
A third guard was asked to assist two other guards in escorting Fukushima out of the prison grounds, and on the way out, Fukushima demanded they return his nails and started attacking the guards. They detained him until police arrived who arrested him for assault.
One prison official said: “I’ve never heard of someone starting a fight on their release,” but added that Fukushima was reportedly well-behaved during his prison term.
Wire reports
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41 Comments
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aintgottimetobl
looks like he learnt his lesson.
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smartacus
Preferred a roof over his head and three meals a day in prison, I suppose.
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sakurasuki
He just doesn't like all the freedom he could get outside the wall.
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sean1blaze
He was an unemployed man of no fixed address, he probably didn't want to leave and figured this was a good way to stay in jail, where he can at least be fed and have a place to sleep.
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PaulieWalnuts
homeless guy gets one year for theft, white collar criminals steal millions of yen and get suspended sentence. I'd want to punch someone too
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nisegaijin
verdict: death sentence. we don't need this subhuman
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FryingMonkey
Looks like someone doesn't much like the real world. But damn! that's our taxes supporting his lazy a$$! Put him down!
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PaulieWalnuts
what?! I hope you are joking
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TokyoGas
Anything for a free flop. lol
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Samuraiiki
Shelter, family, (yes, fellow immates become his family), security, nourishment, and who knows, maybe even love life with fellow immates. What else does he need that the could not get in the outside.
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kyushujoe
A verdict is "guilty" or "not guilty". "Death" is a "sentence". "Taxes" are plural. Should be "...those are our taxes".
I see an interesting relationship between an inability to manipulate language at the most basic level and attitudes to this poor guy.
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grafton
“Fukushima claimed they hadn’t returned his nails he cut while in prison.”
Why are you all trying to find covert reasons for him starting this fight? It clearly states that the guards had stolen his nail clippings. Are you seriously asking that this man who has served his time be sent out into the busy modern world of Japan without his nail clippings? Don’t you think that a year in prison was punishment enough? Some of you can be so hard, try to have a little heart sometimes.
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HypnotiqOne
i like what "nisegaijin" said..haha =D
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IchyaWarFare
Bet. He will get three hots and a cot on the tax payer. Living the life!
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gogogo
He only reason for him to do that would be because the guards did the same unfairness to him.
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PaulieWalnuts
hypnotiqOne 8=D not =D
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Molenir
What surprises me, is that he got 1 year for theft. Normally thats slap on the wrist and suspended sentence. Probably because he was homeless.
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bobcatfish
i think you will find most people would be unemployed and homeless after being released from prison.
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WilliB
He liked it there, so he booked for another year. Sounds reasonable enough.
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GW
what do you expect they were kicking him out of his retirement home!
Shows just how bad this country is getting for some when they have to fighht for the right to stay in prison.
Maybe this is what I shud do when I turn 60, steal stuff till I get caught, do a few years in the free house, wud make my savings go a little furhter, h`mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Samuraiiki
He thought it was a nice besso, (summer home).
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Weasel
Those nails must have been very important to the man.
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jonnyboy
glad to see you're coolly and objectively seeing the big picture with regards to this case
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LFRAgain
What I'm wondering is whether it's really a good idea to release into society a man who went ape over nail clippings.
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Samuraiiki
He has no place to go, family does not want to hear from him, (if he ever had one because there are a lot of orphans who get released into society, and I do not even know if the Foster home concept exists in Japan), so what choices or programs does the government have for released convicts?
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timorborder
Return my nails? Seriously, it might have been something important to him, something possibly of religous significance (I am open to any better interpretations). On the other hand, he might have just wanted to get in a couple of good hits as a way of getting back at these screws.
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Makkun70
Smartacus - make that meal a day..
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USARonin
Maybe 'nails' is a Japanese euphemism for K-Y Jelly.
Anyone?
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Osakadaz
kanebo nailist of the year? fight for your right to vaaaarnish.
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SumoBob
Several of the first to posted "nailed" the reason for his actions. He wanted to remain in prison, because he was kept warm, given three meals a day, and didn't have to think about how to survive another day on the street. Call him a loser "cheating" the system, but the bigger issue is how to effectively deal with people (very often an average "joe") who gets downsized and finds himself on the street where society doesn't give a crap.
His actions aren't surprising in the least. Anyone care to guess the fastest-growing sector of Japanese society being arrested and jailed for non-voilent crimes? It's seniors over the age of 50. The social safety net is failing them, their children live far away, pensions don't pay enough to live by oneself, so prison is seen as a comfortable alternative to living destitute. Heck, prison life is only but a notch or two from the controlled life of the average junior high school. Not such a big adjustment.
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TheguyNextdoor
Who the hell keeps nail clippings?
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ogtob
Not the article I wanted to read during lunch. Nail clippings... Ugh...
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Yelnats
Sounds like a nice gig. I am going to keep it in mind when I find out my pension here won't cover my mortgage. I bite my nails though, so will have to ask them to save my toe nails instead.
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sharky1
Kind of like clicking your heels together and saying "there's no place like home"
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Justuju
This person needed a psychological assessment, and not another jail term. Japanese sociologists should take a note and help this person out of jail and in to a suitable mental facility.
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ca1ic0cat
Yeah, he definitely needs a good shrink but I would keep him locked up in the meantime. If he wasn't crazy before he got there he is now.
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IchyaWarFare
This guy is not crazy or stupid. The man is smart. This guy does menial labor in prison, gets three meals a day, a place to sleep, does not have to worry about medical or dental, why go anywhere else? He gets along with his cell mates or what not, what more does he need?
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genkipilot
would it be possible that he was mistreated while in prison and on release day he decided to get even with the guards?
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BAYANI98
This shows how superior Japan is, it's penal system is so good that people actually prefer being incarcerated...
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Den Den
I wonder if the guards story is honest? One against three? If it was about toenails, then the guy is obviously loopy and shouldn't be in a prison in the first place. Psychiatric help is surely more appropriate.
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