Suicide At Tsurumai Station Halts JR Central Main Line For Two Hours

Aichi Police Guard Police Line at Tsurumai Station

A 50 year old woman jumped in front of a Shinano Express train at Tsurumai Station in Nagoya yesterday.  At 2 PM as the train sped past the station the woman jumped from the platform in front of the train.

Police had to lock down the station for two hours affecting the entire line from Nagano Station to Nagoya Station.  17,000 people were burdened by the closure.

A JR Train Sits Between Kanayama and Tsurumai Stations

Many people were upset with the manner in which JR Central staff handled the situation.  At Tsurumai Station the temperature was well over 30 degrees Celsius and two elderly men had to be rushed to the hospital with heat stroke.  A woman commented, "They could at least allow children and elderly people to wait upstairs in offices while we wait.  Keeping us out in the heat is inhuman."

At Nagoya Station JR staff closed their ticket windows and offices.  Many passengers were upset by this action.  "I have a ticket for the 3:30 Shinano Express and I want to know what to do.  They are hiding from their passengers and this is very poor service."

Fire Trucks and Ambulances At Tsurumai Station

A JR Central spokesman who refused to give their name at Kanayama Station said, "We need cooperation as we handle this situation.  We have a set manual of operation as to what our actions are and we do not deviate from this.  We apologize for any problems our passengers incur but we have to cooperate with the police and fire departments."

All operations on the line resumed shortly before 4 PM in time for the evening rush hour.

William Bryant

Another Gangster Murdered In Nagoya

Aichi Police Investigate Shooting Scene

Another senior yakuza member was gunned down in Nagoya yesterday, signaling an escalation of gang warfare between the nation's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, and a splinter group.

After being alerted to the sounds of gunfire, police rushed to an apartment building in the city’s Naka Ward around 3 p.m. and found the man in one unit with bullet wounds to his head and other parts of his body.

The victim, Tatsuo Saiki, was confirmed dead about an hour and half later. Saiki, 64, was with a member of a gang affiliated with the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi.

Police, who are searching for two men seen driving away from scene, say the slaying appears to mark a surge in a violent power play between the two groups.

According to the Aichi prefectural police, the two men entered the unit and opened fire.

Another man who was in the apartment with Saiki was his acquaintance and reported the incident to police.

The apartment is located about1.2 kilometers from Sakae, the city’s entertainment district, and near schools.

A silver car was found ablaze in a parking lot, about 2 km south of the scene, in the city’s Showa Ward.

Prefectural police believe the car was used by the perpetrators based on witness accounts and they set fire to the vehicle to destroy evidence.