KYOTO (Kyodo) A West Japan Railway Co. employee in Kyoto Prefecture was arrested Monday for halting a train by pushing an emergency stop button at a crossing so he would have an excuse for being late for work.
Masahiro Matsumoto, 23, from Joyo, was quoted by the police as saying, "I thought I would have an excuse for being late if the train stopped."
Matsumoto was arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business.
According to the police, Matsumoto, who commutes on the JR Nara Line from Joyo Station, pushed an emergency button at a crossing between that station and Shinden Station at around 7:30 a.m., causing trains to halt for five minutes.
A police officer was nearby at the time because the stop button had been activated six times since mid-July.