Shocking

[dimwit]

2 dead, 5 injured after being electrocuted by electric fence

SHIZUOKA — Two men died and five other people, including two children, from two families were injured after they were electrocuted by an electrified fence set up by a local resident to keep out deer and other wild animals from hydrangeas in Nishi-Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Sunday.

According to police, the group consisted of two men aged 42 and 47, three women and two children aged 8 and 3. Fuji TV reported that the incident occurred at around 4:40 p.m.

An electrified fence had been put up along a riverbank. Police said one of the men suffered an electric shock when he entered the river, while the others were electrocuted as they tried to assist him.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/nati ... tric-fence

The resident put up the wiring on the side of the river channel (ie not his property) where it would totally never be submerged during a storm, to protect a bunch of flower you can buy anywhere for a couple of hundred yen.

[Taro Toporific]

..police later found that a part of the fence had been cut and that one of the cables supplying power to the fence was dangling in the river, which is likely to have caused the seven people to have gotten electric shocks.

Why weren't any circuit breakers/fuses on the fence's circuit? Was the electric fence owner stealing electricity directly from the utility's power line?

[Russell]

No deer were harmed in this experiment...

[Samurai_Jerk]

Jesus Electric fences aren't supposed to be that strong. The ones that were meant to keep cows in that I came across as a kid in rural Virginia would hurt if you touched them but they definitely wouldn't kill you. Hell my friends and I used to dare each other to touch them.

[Taro Toporific]

Jesus Electric fences aren't supposed to be that strong... Hell my friends and I used to dare each other to touch them.

It was a "home-made device" that was wired directly into mains without a circuit breaker.

Electric fence that killed picnickers found to be connected to mains
The Japan Times | July 23, 2015
The man who installed an electric fence that left two picnickers dead Sunday had assembled the parts and erected it by himself, and the home-made device carried a constant charge rather than the brief pulses typical of livestock fences.
Officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry dispatched to the site in Nishi-Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, found that the fence had been plugged into a 100-volt mains socket. It was also connected to a 440-volt transformer, so investigators suspect the man had in fact been putting a higher voltage down the cable...
...Questioned by reporters, one of the man’s relatives quoted him as admitting that he failed to install a circuit breaker. He said this was “a mistake.”
More...

[matsuki]

Holy fuck...DIY jiji-tech here is scary.

[Grumpy Gramps]

Investigators' tech seems to be just as scary, though

investigators suspect the man had in fact been putting a higher voltage down the cable

Suspect? Ever heard of a volt meter?

[Yokohammer]

... Suspect? Ever heard of a volt meter?

That'd be the same usage as:

"The man had been severely beaten, shot through the head, and stabbed in the chest and back multiple times. The police suspect murder."

Speaking of "suspect," I strongly suspect that the dumbfuck who hooked that murderous contraption up won't be a free member of society for a very long time.


~ Tapatalking ~

[Coligny]

Tsss... He'll say he's soooo solly...

The original japanese get out of jail card.

[Samurai_Jerk]

He's definitely in trouble but how hard are the Japanese criminal courts on people who kill through negligence not malice?

[Yokohammer]

He's definitely in trouble but how hard are the Japanese criminal courts on people who kill through negligence not malice?

Not very, now that I look at the details.
That'd be "過失致死罪" I think:

過失致死傷罪（かしつちししょうざい）とは、過失により人を死傷させる罪である。
過失により人を傷害した場合に過失傷害罪となり（刑法209条1項）、法定刑は30万円以下の罰金又は科料。同条2項により、親告罪とされている。一方、過失により人を死亡させた場合に過失致死罪となる（同210条）。法定刑は50万円以下の罰金。こちらは親告罪ではない。

But two people died and five were injured, so the punishment might be a little more severe.

EDIT: To clarify for the kanji challenged, that's basically a fine of no more than JPY 500,000 for death due to negligence. But I think things are actually a little more complicated than that.

[Russell]

I think he deserves the electric chair...

[matsuki]

How about 自殺 for atonement? If ever there were a worthy candidate...

[Samurai_Jerk]

He's definitely in trouble but how hard are the Japanese criminal courts on people who kill through negligence not malice?

Not very, now that I look at the details.
That'd be "過失致死罪" I think:

過失致死傷罪（かしつちししょうざい）とは、過失により人を死傷させる罪である。
過失により人を傷害した場合に過失傷害罪となり（刑法209条1項）、法定刑は30万円以下の罰金又は科料。同条2項により、親告罪とされている。一方、過失により人を死亡させた場合に過失致死罪となる（同210条）。法定刑は50万円以下の罰金。こちらは親告罪ではない。

But two people died and five were injured, so the punishment might be a little more severe.

EDIT: To clarify for the kanji challenged, that's basically a fine of no more than JPY 500,000 for death due to negligence. But I think things are actually a little more complicated than that.

Criminally the most he could get is a 500,000 yen fine but he'll be on the hook for a lot more if they sue him. I wonder if this guy was just an idiot or if he knew the fence could kill and just didn't care. If any deer were killed before this incident and the prosecution can prove he knew, he might be fucked.

[kurogane]

The civil damages should be quite a shock, especially given the current trend towards civil litigiousnesses. That could be the breaker for this guy.

[Yokohammer]

Criminally the most he could get is a 500,000 yen fine but he'll be on the hook for a lot more if they sue him. I wonder if this guy was just an idiot or if he knew the fence could kill and just didn't care. If any deer were killed before this incident and the prosecution can prove he knew, he might be fucked.

I also wonder if the criminal charges are cumulative, as in:

500,000 x 2 = 1,000,000
300,000 x 5 = 1,500,000
= JPY 2,500,000 in maximum fines before he even gets sued.

[matsuki]

500,000 fine to "accidentally" kill someone? There's this bitch that has this thing with condiments....

[kurogane]

Well, more negligence leading to death than accidental homicide by my reading, assuming those are different, but death by condiments sound promising.

IOW, not shovelling your snow covered sidewalk leading to a deadly fall rather than clobbering somebody by accident whilst shovelling. Or not. Can we get some more bad puns going, please?

[yanpa]

Given that it's 土用の丑の日 today, death by electric eel would be appropriate.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Given that it's 土用の丑の日 today, death by electric eel would be appropriate.

Since summer is the time to eat unagi to keep cool I always just assumed that's when they were in season. Turns out I was wrong according to a couple of unagiya's I've spoken with recently. The best time to eat them is Autumn. Their attitude seemed to be that though it's good for business Japanese people are stupid to eat it in summer just based on an old superstition.

[matsuki]

Japanese people are stupid to ******* just based on an old superstition.

[kurogane]

Given that it's 土用の丑の日 today, death by electric eel would be appropriate.

Since summer is the time to eat unagi to keep cool I always just assumed that's when they were in season. Turns out I was wrong according to a couple of unagiya's I've spoken with recently. The best time to eat them is Autumn. Their attitude seemed to be that though it's good for business Japanese people are stupid to eat it in summer just based on an old superstition.

Could that be the lunar vs. whatever it is calendar we use now? IOW, what is now late summer used to be autumn
I shall investigate and report back.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Given that it's 土用の丑の日 today, death by electric eel would be appropriate.

Since summer is the time to eat unagi to keep cool I always just assumed that's when they were in season. Turns out I was wrong according to a couple of unagiya's I've spoken with recently. The best time to eat them is Autumn. Their attitude seemed to be that though it's good for business Japanese people are stupid to eat it in summer just based on an old superstition.

Could that be the lunar vs. whatever it is calendar we use now? IOW, what is now late summer used to be autumn
I shall investigate and report back.

Possibly but the idea is to eat unagi when it's hot because it will keep your body cool so maybe not.

[kurogane]

Yeah, I remember that one. I was thinking that autumn used to start in what is now August according to the old seasons, and so the chefs were using that system to say it was better than in the (old) summer, or what is now summer. So I looked it up and got even more confused. And then I gave up. Maybe their point is that in autumn eels are more tasty at that point in their life cycle? Fortunately for eel lovers I class that with blue cheese. And I would take blue cheese over eel.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Yeah, I remember that one. I was thinking that autumn used to start in what is now August according to the old seasons, and so the chefs were using that system to say it was better than in the (old) summer, or what is now summer. So I looked it up and got even more confused. And then I gave up. Maybe their point is that in autumn eels are more tasty at that point in their life cycle? Fortunately for eel lovers I class that with blue cheese. And I would take blue cheese over eel.

Yeah, they meant fall is when ungagi tastes best. I like it OK but I don't get the craze and now with the price increases in recent years I don't think it's worth it. You're looking at 3000 to 4000 yen for an una-ju these days. Throw in drinks and a couple of appetizers and it get pretty pricey. If I'm in that range I'd rather do sushi or a nicer yakiniku place. Besides the grilled anago served at sushi shops is a lot tastier.

[Salty]

I had mine yesterday -yen400 for a two slice serving - raw from the supermarket, so bought two and grilled it at home. Very good.

[yanpa]

Fence owner has suicided himself according to this report.

[matsuki]

Fence owner has suicided himself according to this report.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Fence owner has suicided himself according to this report.

Figured that was coming.

[matsuki]

Fence owner has suicided himself according to this report.

Figured that was coming.

Seemed in order, by the jiji atonement code....but not so sure the families of the deceased/injured will really be happy about it. In 2015 it comes across as a cowardly way to escape the shame you've brought upon yourself. So if he's dead, how does that work when it comes to fines, civil suit, etc? You would think they could fine/sue his estate but TIJ and I can totally see something like him pulling all his savings out in cash (if they weren't already cash under the mattress) and the family claiming he had no assets left to his name.