News On Japan

Stressed salaryman slashes seats

TOKYO, Oct 22 (News On Japan) - A 39-year-old company employee has been arrested on suspicion of slashing train seats with a cutter on the JR Sōbu Line, which runs through Tokyo.

The suspect is believed to have committed property damage by slashing a train seat with a cutter around 9 a.m. on Sep 19, while the train was traveling between JR Nakano and Koenji stations in Tokyo.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, a police officer on patrol noticed a man cutting a seat he was sitting on, spanning about 20 centimeters, and arrested him on the spot.

The suspect admitted to the allegation, saying he "wanted to vent job-related stress."

This month alone, there have been roughly 20 similar incidents on the Sōbu Line, and the police department is investigating any connections.

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