At many arcades in Japan there is often an amusement cabinet called a punching machine that measures how hard one can punch. A sixteen-year-old has been arrested after kicking one.
Here is a YouTube clip from 2012 showing a punching machine in action:
According to Kobe Shimbun Next, a sixteen-year-old resident of Kakogawa city, was arrested today for alleged property damage. Yesterday, the teen repeatedly kicked a punching machine’s coin return slot, destroying it. He has since confessed.
“I put money in and the game didn’t start, so I got pissed off,” he’s quoted as saying. “I kicked it three or four times.”
Punching machines have existed since the early 20th century. Since the 1980s, a number of Japanese game companies have released their versions, including Namco’s Knockdown in 1981, Taito’s Real Puncher in 1990, and Atlus’ Punching Try in 2007.
DISCUSSION
Well this isn’t quite what I expected. Thought this was going to be a debate as to whether kicking the punchbag was something to arrest over.
But no, kid was kicking the actual cabinet. A little more cut and dry.