TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an upper-level employee at a Mizuho Bank for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver in Suginami Ward, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 29).
At approximately 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, Yasuyuki Oyamada, a 51-year-old manager, allegedly kicked the legs of the driver, aged in his 50s, and punched him in the chest while not paying a bill of 7,000 yen.
Oyamada, who has been charged with theft and assault, denies the charges. “I didn’t kick or hit anyone,” the suspect is quoted by police.
According to police, Oyamada was drunk at the time of the incident, and the driver was not injured.
“That an employee has been arrested, it is extremely unfortunate, and we would like to offer a sincere apology,” a representative of the bank is quoted, according to the Nikkei Shimbun (Jan. 30). “This matter will be dealt with strictly based on all the facts of the case.”