Man threatens to set fire to Sega offices, beat employees’ family members to death

Inability to handle gamer rage leads to arrest.

Last week, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Shinagawa Precinct announced the arrest of Akira Watanabe. Watanabe is a resident of Aichi Prefecture, about halfway across the country from Tokyo, but the crime he committed was targeted at a company headquartered in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward, video game publisher Sega.

Specifically, Watanabe was arrested for threats he sent to Sega Sammy Holdings, the holding company that owns both Sega and pachinko machine maker Sammy. It’s the Sega branch of the corporate family that Watanabe had a beef with, though, and over a three week period from January 12 to February 2 he sent a total of a dozen threatening emails, including one saying “I will set [your offices] on fire and beat your employees and their families to death.”

The Japanese term Watanabe used, bukkorosu literally means “I’m going to hit and kill you” (as we’ve covered before), but is often used in blustery, chest-puffing statements to mean something closer to “I’m gonna kick your ass.” Sticking it in the same sentence as an arson threat, though, gives it a considerably more lethal tone, especially with the heightened seriousness with which the authorities take such threats following the Kyoto Animation tragedy.

After tracing the emails back to Watanabe the police placed him under arrest and took him into custody. He has admitted to the charges, explaining his mindset as “I was frustrated and upset about losing at Sega online games.”

It’s the kind of excuse that would be inexcusable coming from a teenager, and at 54 years old, Watanabe really ought to know better, especially considering that you could make an argument that frustration and disappointment are things you should always be at least braced for the possibility of when it comes to Sega.

Source: The Sankei News via Hachima Kiko, TBS News
Top image: Pakutaso
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