Woman Arrested in Osaka Over Spraying ‘Tear Gas’ in Restroom

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:35 JST, June 15, 2023

A woman in Osaka was arrested on suspicion of inflicting injury on an elderly woman by spraying something toward her at the Hankyu Department Store’s Umeda Main Store, the Osaka prefectural police said Thursday.

The 33-year-old woman admitted to the charge and said, “I definitely sprayed her with tear gas.”

According to the police, the 85-year-old woman was sprayed at around 1:25 p.m. on Wednesday in the women’s restroom. The victim is expected to have dermatitis on her head for about a week as a result.

The elderly woman and 13 others who were nearby complained of pain in their eyes and throats and were taken to the hospital, according to the local fire department and prefectural police.