Man arrested for punching schoolchildren outside station in Ibaraki

Are "high school students" the same as "schoolchildren"?

The bloke is clearly a few sandwiches short of a picnic but honestly folks...haven't we all had the urge at some point? And Im curous about the description for the E-fit...black hair, dark brown eyes, Japanese looking..

He said, she said. A sketch? There`s a good one. Need more than that to be doing people in.

High school kids. Hmmm aren't some high school kids in the motorcycle gangs?

Some kids need a good spanking from their parents, but don't get it. Sounds like this guy took things into his own hands, literally.

high school kids are def. not just schoolchildren , probably was well deserved too.

I wonder why he punched them?? Not all HS kids are bad, many many are quite good, so I do hope this strange man not only gets arrested but also mental counseling! A few sandwhiches short of a picnic?? Hahaha! Great!

Education by submission.

probably was well deserved too.

Got any special info on that? There are high school kids who are just a menace. But there are lots of high school kids just minding their own business. This article says nothing on what they did before the attack, so there is no need to accuse the students of anything.

So, let's see - according to some of the lovely people above all Japanese high school kids (yes they are schoolchildren until they leave school, duh...) need a thumping because they're bad to the bone and deserve it. God I hope you aren't teachers.

yea quite a lot of em in Tokyo are little punks.not sure about Ibaraki but Tokyo ones well deserve some slapping around quite often...and wont do a thing unless strongly told

Charge him. I do wonder why he hit them though. Yes, I have given the thought of smacking a few for their behaviour but we don't know if there was an issue or this guy is a loon. Either way, you don't just go punching people regardless of how annoying they may be.

And teenagers or certainly not the same as schoolchildren.

Are "high school students" the same as "schoolchildren"?

For sensationalism purposes and to "grab" people's attention and elicit feelings of anger and dismay, I guess it is so!

A bit misleading... I don't generally call highschool kids 'school children', although technically of course they are not adults by law. Still, doesn't forgive whatsoever what the man did. As to 'having no memory' of doing it, then lock him up in a psychiatric ward.

The four children hit by Yahagi sustained minor injuries in the attack, police said.

girls or boys?

police used an artist’s likeness to identify and locate him

21st century high tech, USA have prism, Japan has an "Etch-o-sketch"

Can he come over here? There are always a group of young, noisy punks hanging around every weekend now where I live.

It was a Saturday afternoon at a train station.

4 teenagers aged about 15-18 were punched in the face. 2 other people in the area also attacked.

One man, the culprit of 4 or all attacks, pleads no recollection of the events.

And from this information, some of you deduce that the kids must've been asking for it? How?

Point of view...'he said she said.. '

I'd say you have 4 victims stating it was the same offender, maybe even some witnesses as well. The face fit shored go your ID

What more would you need?

4 counts of common assault pure and simple

he can't remeber ? well he must go to tokyo many annoying HS students here

Ha ha! The cops would have been picking up pieces of him for weeks if he punched kids from a high school in Sydney.

Hmm a dubious matter indeed this punching stuff

probably was well deserved too.

Not all hs kids are bad ya know...and even if they were, its never a justification for assault.

Yahagi was quoted as saying he had no memory of hitting the children.

Why can't these guys ever come up with a more original excuse. Its always I can't remember, or I was drunk. I would have more respect for him if he said something like, "the little suckers deserved it."

he should choose a different hobby

Seems like Ibaraki is becoming the new Saitama.

he had no memory of hitting the children.

I hope some camera's from Ishioka station will jumpstart his memory.

Are "high school students" the same as "schoolchildren"? For sensationalism purposes and to "grab" people's attention and elicit feelings of anger and dismay, I guess it is so!

@Yubaru. Well said!

@AustPaul,

Just doesnt cut the mustard. Did he have black hair, weigh about 50kg, have crooked teeth? Ya thats him.

No line-ups here?

@nandakandamanda

Yes they have in front of pachinko and department stores in the morning, or did you not mean that? ;)

@Pointofview

Where is the reference to the hair and the teeth? Not sure where you are going with this.... are you saying they gave any description and the cops just picked a random guy?

In any case, based on what the article says I think there is no problem with ID in this instance....

Sketch artists/facefits are pretty common in ID evidence...here anyway

If he punched them one at a time, how come the last guy didn't duck? Did the attacker use a Three Stooges slap?

Some of these kids are little gangsters and I am not suprised if they were punched. My wife and I were greeted with a number of punks with girls includes as well who tried to block us getting out of an apartment lift. I had to push one out of the way but if it ever happens again, I won't be controlling myself. When we got out , the floor was covered in drink cans, cigarette butts and rubbish strewn around.

Did the guy punch these kids for nothing? I certainly don't think so.

I am glad it wasn't an American GI that dd this. Could you imagine the outcome? The high school kids near our apartment that study at a small after school (school) are very loud and run all over the place. They run near our 2 parked cars in packs of 10-15 while running and screaming uncontrollably - one almost ran into me face to face and didn't say a word or even look surprised. When they are not doing that, they ride their bicycles all over the road bothering vehicles on the road with no helmets on. There is absolutely no control whatsoever with these high school kids. They also throw garbage all over the place and we got blamed for it once from our apartment owner. They deny any wrong doing when confronted. Who knows what they did to this man or what he went through (he sounds crazy to me) HOWEVER, I do not condone what he did. I just see things for what they are here. These kids get away from there parents and join together, they are wild and bothersome to everyone.

Did the guy punch these kids for nothing? I certainly don't think so.

How do you know this? It doesn't mention anywhere that the kids were being offensive. If the kids were being offensive, i would think he would have mentioned it during his questioning. Just the fact that he said that "he doesn't remember doing it", coupled with the fact that he has a history other assault crimes, tells me that this guy has some mental issues.

Some of these kids are little gangsters and I am not suprised if they were punched. My wife and I were greeted with a number of punks with girls includes as well who tried to block us getting out of an apartment lift. I had to push one out of the way but if it ever happens again, I won't be controlling myself.

doesn't mean a damn thing. Just because you were met up by a bunch of delinquents doesn't mean that all school aged kids are delinquents, and he certainly does NOT have the authority or the right to assault them even if they were.

"I don't remember" has GOT to be the worst excuse ever! Throw the book at this lunatic!

This story lacks a lot of context... though he did go around punching other people on the same day... if he were punching "gnagster wannabe" high schoolers, he would have gotten punched back... as stated before this guy sounds a few answitches short of a full picknick basket...