Man Arrested for Shining Laser Beam at Driver’s Compartment of Moving Train in Japan’s Fukuoka Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:36 JST, February 12, 2026

KITAKYUSHU — The Fukuoka prefectural police arrested a 52-year-old construction worker from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Wednesday on suspicion of obstruction of business by force, for shining a laser beam at the driver’s compartment of a moving train.

According to the police, the man is suspected of shining a laser pointer at the driver’s seat of a local train in operation from a road near a railroad crossing at about 11:40 p.m. on Dec. 22. He is also suspected of shining the laser at the driver’s seat of a freight train in operation at about 11:45 p.m. on the same day. No injuries were reported in either incident, but the freight train was forced to stop for six minutes. The man denies the allegations.