A man has been arrested in the western Tokyo suburb of Machida after allegedly kicking a woman who was listening to music on her smartphone just before they nearly collided on a street, police said Monday.
Shoichi Nagai, 55, was arrested Friday on a charge of violent behavior, which he denied, the police said.
According to the police, Nagai was riding a bicycle Thursday when he and the woman almost collided. Nagai criticized her for being distracted by the smartphone and threatened her by showing off his chest tattoo and saying, "I'm a yakuza."
The police have not confirmed whether the woman was looking at the smartphone's screen at the time of the accident.
"I told her it was dangerous to use a smartphone while walking, but she didn't apologize," Nagai told the police.