Man arrested for allegedly killing co-worker by forcing compressed air up his buttocks

A Japanese worker died after getting compressed air forced into his rectum, police say. (iStock)

Japanese authorities arrested a man Saturday after another person died when he allegedly shot compressed air into their rectum as a prank.

Yoshiyuki Yoshida, 34, was arrested for the accidental killing of Akio Ishimaru, 46, according to Ibaraki Prefecture Ryugasaki police.

The incident took place at an Ibaraki Tsukuba City manufacturing plant on July 13, according to the Asia Times. The two were apparently fooling around on their break when Yoshida took the air compressor and injected a blast of air in between Ishimaru’s buttocks, the news site reported.

Ishimaur began to feel ill minutes after the prank and was taken to the hospital where he later died. Yoshida reportedly admitted to committing the crime.

“It was a tragic accident but not the first of its kind,” police said in a statement. “The air compressor was pushed up against the anus, over clothing, not directly into the cavity, and the release of the air into the body probably damaged the lungs, causing death. We are waiting for the results of an autopsy, which is still being scheduled.”

An incident of this nature isn’t exactly unheard of in Japan.

Two men working at a waste disposal factory accidentally killed their co-worker after poking him in the buttocks with an air compressor in December 2017, the Asia Times reported. Both were reportedly arrested on assault charges.

A Kyoto student died on Jan. 1 after being poked in the rear with an air-duster blower.

Japan’s Self-Defense Forces have also been a culprit of the prank. Air compressor-inflicted injuries have sent several to the hospital with serious wounds.