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Fukuoka: NHK employee accused of assaulting driver

in Kurume City
Fukuoka police have arrested an NHK reporter for allegedly assaulting a driver in Kurume City last year

FUKUOKA (TR) – Fukuoka Prefectural Police have arrested a reporter for public broadcaster NHK for allegedly assaulting a driver in Kurume City last year, reports Nippon News Network (Feb. 3).

At around 11:00 p.m. on December 12, Seiichiro Sakamoto, a 45-year-old reporter for the Kurume branch office, allegedly used his hand to push the chest of the part-time driver, 26, on a road in the Mutsumonmachi area. He then balled his hand into a fist and punched the driver in the stomach.

Sakamoto, who has been accused of assault, denies the allegations. “It is not factual that an assault took place,” the suspected was quoted by police.

According to police, the man was not injured in the incident. He filed a claim with police the next day.

It is suspected that Sakamoto was drinking prior to the incident, which took place after an argument erupted over a parking space.

“We will deal with the matter appropriately after checking the facts,” a representative of the Fukuoka bureau of NHK was quoted.