Crime & Courts

Man Arrested at Tokyo Airport Over Slapping Female Employee; Authorities Say He Was Angry Over Missing Flight

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The Metropolitan Police Department is seen in Tokyo in October 2023.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:18 JST, January 15, 2025

A man, who was arrested on suspicion of slapping a female employee at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, was angry that he had missed his flight, police said Wednesday.

The man, 58, a doctor from Matsue, allegedly slapped the woman, who is in her 20s, twice near a boarding gate of Terminal 2 at the airport around 8:10 p.m. on Monday.

The woman was left with a bruise that is expected to take about a week to heal, according to the Tokyo airport police station, which is a part of the Metropolitan Police Department.

He denied the allegation and was quoted as saying, “I didn’t hit [her].”

The man was on a business trip and had missed his flight.

According to police, he was heard saying, “Why wasn’t there an announcement? Put me on [the plane].”

The police received a call and dispatched officers, who arrested the doctor at the scene.

The police sent him to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on Wednesday.