Man beats pedestrian to death in Kanagawa; says it didn't matter who

Thursday 02nd April, 01:47 PM JST

TOKYO —

Police on Thursday arrested a man over the death of a pedestrian on a sidewalk in Konan Ward, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Wednesday night.

According to police, the suspect, a 26-year-old construction worker identified as Natsuhito Ito, was walking with three acquaintances after a drinking session. Ito’s companions told police that he suddenly turned around and started kicking and punching a man who had been walking behind them in the Okubo area. Ito’s friends tried to stop him but he shook them off and continued assaulting the victim on the ground, police said.

Although Ito went home after the attack, his friends remained at the scene and called an ambulance. The victim was taken to hospital, suffering a skull fracture. Doctors said he died Thursday morning, after 11 hours in intensive care. The cause of death was brain contusion.

Ito told police he was unacquainted to the victim, and that he simply felt like beating someone. “It didn’t matter who,” he was quoted as saying.

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Latest 15 of 73 Total Comments Show All

usaexpat at 11:19 PM JST - 3rd April

wow that is some serious carziness. I hope this guy goes away for life.
mnemosyne23 at 02:27 AM JST - 4th April

Absolutely crazy. My heart goes out to the victim's family.
BigRobu at 07:24 AM JST - 4th April

this is not a "big city" area which makes it more shocking since a lot of people walk around at all times of night feeling very secure. If my friend went nuts and did something like this in my presence I would personaly hold him for the cops to take him away drunk or not.
bushlover at 08:37 AM JST - 4th April

For those understanding how this could happen because of the failing economy and stress let me tell you what you are full of. I have felt stress as well and have even changed my life so drastically because of it but never have I felt like just beating on someone at random. Only guys like the beater who go around with britches bigger than they are , are the ones that I feel deserve to get their peepee smacked.
mindovermatter at 08:50 AM JST - 4th April

Oh my god... here we go again.... the bottom line is that any society where the 'norm' or 'being safe' means just pretending something isn't happening and that this women in ANY WAY deserved to get popped for asking a young man to keep the volume down is a sick society. In this case, true, we don't know anything about the victim except that he died (though actually in the Japanese news they went into detail on him), but I don't think we can go so far as to blame the guy's death on pride. In fact, whether it was in this thread or on the news, it was pretty clear the guy took some pretty strong blows at the beginning and probably couldn't 'run' off if he wanted to (and he probably DID want to).

Here we go again with the lack of "Common-Sense," which came first, "Chicken or the Egg" Debate, among people hell bent on enforcing rules.

What-ever happened to "Mind Your Own Business...?"

The point being... Is it really worth all the trouble of being right, or just letting it go....?

I can't understand for the life of me, why it is people feel it's their job or sole purpose in life to take it upon themselves to enforce rules or regulations...?

Ok, well let's just start handing out ticket books to all the neighborhood Oyaji's, and they can start writing tickets, if they feel you need one for talking too loud, smoking or riding your bike.

Oh, but let's not forget being rude, we need to have special politeness Oyaji's and Obasan's to hand out these tickets too.

We all know it wasn't their fault that they got: punched, kicked, slapped, saliva wiped on them, pushed in front of a train or stabbed, That's Not the point, but why would you even go there...?

Come on dude...show a little common sense...Please
likeitis at 09:33 AM JST - 4th April

bushlover: I have felt stress as well and have even changed my life so drastically because of it but never have I felt like just beating on someone at random.

But that is you. Everyone is different. It is quite possible this guy would have had more self control in a better economic situation. Some people have more tolerance than others. Some people snap quicker than others. Some people are obviously nuts their whole lives, yet do nothing so dangerous because nothing set them off.
Sarge at 11:07 AM JST - 4th April

"Some people are obviously nuts their whole lives"

I've seen some of them.
mindovermatter at 01:42 PM JST - 4th April

didnt matter who, why didnt he pick one of his so called friends. The 3 should also be charged with accessory

Absolutely! They are accomplices to murder at this point, until it could be proven otherwise. They should be charged, then let the facts come out.
Ultrashaman at 10:18 PM JST - 4th April

(it seems more than likely, Japanese like to prey on smaller and defenseless people, particularly women and children)

It's not Japanese that target those people, it's criminals of all societies that target them.
boboh at 11:52 PM JST - 4th April

Bushlover, good point, well put.

Ultrashaman, rubbish, its far more prevalent in Japan as it is a cultural trait that has been pointed out on this site many, many times. That "oh, it happens in other societies too" response is typical of the many Japanophiles and apologists that post here who fail to recognise that other countries actually DO SOMETHING about these incidents, instead of the Japanese response of "well, just another weirdo" and toddle of to work or change the channel.
UnagiDon at 12:04 AM JST - 5th April

boboh;

its far more prevalent in Japan as it is a cultural trait that has been pointed out on this site many, many times. That "oh, it happens in other societies too" response is typical of the many Japanophiles and apologists that post here

Or maybe both views have some merit? Or how about "the whole "this is a cultural trait cuz JT posters say so" argument is typical of the many Japanophobes who post here"?

Japan is not an ideal country or culture, but neither is it the pits - seeing Japan through crap-coloured glasses is just as bad as seeing it through rose-coloured glasses.
Den Den at 01:12 AM JST - 5th April

Still totally safe to walk around any time, day or night. Just a pretty bad luck day for some poor random person.
SiouxGirl at 03:15 AM JST - 5th April

It's stress of several different kinds. He should still be punished to the fullest extent, however & not use alcohol as an excuse. Has anyone been studying what living in a super-populated area does to people? I live in an area of about 30,000 and we're spread out over approx 70 miles. We're stressed, too, because it's hard to get a job here that pays enough where you can save enough money to move elsewhere. But we're not living on top of each other. Sure, young men get into fights here, too, but not to the point where someone is killed, and it's never random. The cost of living there, population density, job situations, lack of support ... it's creating powder kegs. But - what to do about it?
elbudamexicano at 04:02 AM JST - 5th April

A 26 year old Japanese construction worker? Let me guess, ex gang member for some motorcycle bosozoku? Scumy, dirty long fake blong hair? A few earings? Raised by a single parent, if by any at all, perfect conbination of crappy up bringging and here we have the grand result, a murderer. Well, I hope he hangs, no use wasting our hard earned taxes on such filthy scum who do not understand how to behave in a civilized society!
mukamo at 09:48 AM JST - 6th April

Japan is still a very safe country. Japan may also be trending the most number of heinous and senseless (like this one) crimes per capita... and it can be both at the same time. - Which understandandably, makes the issue uniquely Japanese. Its like having the greatest nobel-laureate minds while also having the attention-deficit-disordered brains of the bosozoku gangs, existing at the same plane. And yes, If you dont get it by now, you just aint gettin it.