Man Arrested for Pushing Woman onto Train Tracks in Tokyo, Says: I Want to Stay behind Bars Until I Die

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:15 JST, January 7, 2024

A man was arrested for allegedly pushing a woman in her 60s onto the train tracks at JR Shinagawa Station in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday. The woman was standing in the front row on a platform of the JR Tokaido Line at about 1:30 p.m. when she was suddenly pushed.

She was slightly hit by an oncoming train and sustained head injuries and was sent to a hospital. However, she is reportedly in stable condition.

The man who pushed her, a 39-year-old from Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, was subsequently arrested by the Takanawa Police of the Metropolitan Police Department on suspicion of attempted murder. According to police, the man had never met the woman and allegedly admitted he pushed her because he wanted to stay behind bars until he died. The police will investigate whether he is criminally responsible.

According to JR East, the Tokaido Line train that hit the woman canceled its operation and nine trains were delayed by up to 65 minutes, affecting about 8,000 people.