A 34-year-old worker has been arrested on suspicion of throwing a shopping cart onto a level crossing near Oyama Station in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward, halting a train for three minutes, according to reports.
Kenta Odaka, a construction worker from Nakano Ward, was arrested on November 2 on suspicion of endangering train traffic and obstructing business by force, according to reports. Police suspect he threw the cart onto the crossing of the Tobu Tojo Line at around 10:45 p.m. on February 22.
He is suspected of taking the cart from a nearby supermarket without permission and leaving it inside the crossing. According to reports, he admitted to the allegation during questioning.
“I remember throwing the cart in, though it is vague. I may have been drunk at the time.”the suspect, according to reports
The driver of a local train preparing to leave Oyama Station toward Ikebukuro spotted the cart and stopped in time. The train was delayed three minutes while staff checked that the tracks were safe.
The crossing sits on the Ikebukuro side of the station, close enough to the platforms that the driver could see the cart from the stopped train. A train passing through the station without stopping might have hit it.
Obstacles on the tracks
Bicycles left on tracks and stones placed on rails are reported frequently. On October 20, a local train on JR's Nippo Line in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, hit a bicycle left on the tracks near a crossing.
None of the roughly 150 passengers was hurt, but 12 limited express and local trains were canceled, affecting about 12,000 people. In 2016, a bicycle struck by a train on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line in Tokyo's Toshima Ward was thrown into a man at a crossing and killed him.
In that case, the man had fallen while riding across the crossing and left his bicycle behind when the barrier came down. Many people leave bicycles on tracks or place stones as pranks, and though most may not intend to derail a train, the consequences can be serious.
A charge with no fine
Hiroichiro Matsui, a lawyer at Atom Law Office, said the charge of endangering train traffic covers creating a state that could lead to a derailment or collision.
“Under case law, the offense can be established if a possibility of an accident arises.”Hiroichiro Matsui, lawyer at Atom Law Office
The statutory penalty is two years or more of imprisonment, with no fine provided, so a prosecution would go to a full trial. If a train were actually derailed or destroyed, the charge would be heavier, and a death could bring the death penalty or life imprisonment.
The railway operator could also seek damages for the disruption. Matsui said such claims are legally possible and can cover labor costs from halted services, the cost of safety checks and removing the object, and repairs to equipment.
- Railway companies often do not disclose whether they claim or how much they seek.
- Court cases over such claims are not common.
- Even without a collision and with a delay of only about three minutes, a deliberate act can still be grounds for a claim, Matsui said.