Japan: 80-year-old woman arrested over 451 police calls in nine hours
In short
Police in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, arrested an 80-year-old unemployed woman on Oct. 5 on suspicion of obstructing police work by making 451 calls to the 110 emergency number in about nine hours. Police say the calls, made from around midnight to about 9 a.m. on Aug. 21, included silent hang-ups and remarks such as “I look forward to seeing whether police take action.” The woman denies the allegation, according to two outlets.
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Police in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, arrested an 80-year-old unemployed woman on Oct. 5 on suspicion of obstructing police work by repeatedly calling the 110 emergency number, according to Livedoor News and Yomiuri Shimbun. Yomiuri reported that Takamatsu Minami police station made the arrest on suspicion of fraudulent obstruction of business. [ 1 , 3 ]
Police allege she used a mobile phone to make 451 calls between about midnight and about 9 a.m. on Aug. 21, either staying silent and hanging up or repeating unintelligible content such as “I look forward to seeing whether police take action,” the reports said. According to Yomiuri, the calls interfered with the work of the prefectural police’s communications command division. [ 1 , 3 ]
Livedoor News reported that the woman had made similar calls to police in the past, and that police considered this case clear obstruction because of the large number of calls in a short time, which led to the arrest. Both Livedoor News and Yomiuri reported that she denies the allegation. [ 1 , 3 ]
TBS NEWS DIG’s summary gives the date of the 451 calls as Aug. 1 in one sentence, while also stating that they took place between about midnight and about 9 a.m. on Aug. 21 — the timeframe the other outlets report. [ 2 ]
Yomiuri reported that prank and silent calls account for about 20% of 110 calls in the prefecture. It said there were about 20,000 such cases in 2024 and about 18,000 last year, and that the roughly 5,300 recorded in January-June this year was about 1,500 more than in the same period a year earlier. Police said prank calls get in the way of reports about incidents and accidents and asked people to stop making them, according to the report. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The case is a local crime and public-safety matter in Kagawa Prefecture, and police used it to repeat a call for people to stop nuisance calls. Yomiuri Shimbun reported that such calls account for about a fifth of 110 traffic in the prefecture, which police say can block genuine reports of incidents and accidents. The documents give no indication of wider national consequences.
Key facts
- An 80-year-old unemployed woman in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, was arrested on Oct. 5 on suspicion of obstructing police duties, according to police. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Police allege she made 451 calls to the 110 emergency number over roughly nine hours, from about midnight to about 9 a.m. on Aug. 21. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The calls included silent hang-ups and unintelligible content, including the repeated remark “I look forward to seeing whether police take action,” police said. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Police said she denies the allegation. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Takamatsu Minami police station made the arrest on suspicion of fraudulent obstruction of business, and that the calls interfered with the prefectural police communications command division. [ 3 ]
- Kagawa prefectural police said prank and silent calls make up about 20% of 110 calls, with roughly 5,300 in January-June this year, about 1,500 more than the same period a year earlier. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The exact date of the 451 calls. TBS NEWS DIG’s summary gives Aug. 1 in one sentence while also stating the calls ran from about midnight to about 9 a.m. on Aug. 21; Livedoor News and Yomiuri Shimbun both say Aug. 21.
- Whether the woman had made similar calls to police before. Only Livedoor News mentions past calls, and no other document confirms it.
- Her exact place of residence within the city. Livedoor News says Takamatsu City Kagawa Town, while Yomiuri Shimbun says only Takamatsu City.
- How police identified and handled the case before the arrest. The documents do not describe any earlier warnings or investigation steps.
- Police allege she made 451 calls to the 110 emergency number over about nine hours from around midnight on Aug. 21, with silent hang-ups and unintelligible content. Reported by a single source so far
- Police said she denies the allegation. Reported by a single source so far
- The calls included the remark “I look forward to seeing whether police take action,” according to police. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Police allege the woman began calling 110 from a mobile phone, continuing until about 9 a.m. [ 1 , 3 ]
- The alleged series of 451 calls ended. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Livedoor News reports the arrest of the 80-year-old woman. [ 1 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the arrest. [ 2 ]
- Yomiuri Shimbun reports the arrest and publishes prefectural police data on nuisance 110 calls. [ 3 ]