Watch: the elderly Japanese man who divided the internet ... by delaying a train

Footage of an elderly man apparently deliberately delaying the departure of a busy commuter train has gone viral in Japan, with social media users divided over whether the incident was amusing or infuriating.

The footage was taken on April 6 in Nagoya and initially released in a Twitter post that has since been widely shared – and attracted plenty of comment in a nation that takes the punctuality of its trains extremely seriously.

The elderly and slightly dishevelled man repeatedly puts his hand and a plastic bag between the closing doors of the train as it waits to depart Sakae station. Ignoring alarms and numerous warnings over the announcement system, the man blocks the door at least seven times and remonstrates with a station employee before blocking the door from closing with his foot.

The train finally leaves the platform when a younger man aboard the train pulls him away from the door – although the old man appears to remonstrate with him – and a more senior station employee intervenes.

As well as being debated on social media, the clip has been aired on television and the man – who has not been identified – has been the subject of criticism and ridicule.

Some thought the man’s actions were funny. One commenter on the JapanToday website said: “This should be a sporting event at the Olympics.”

Most were irritated, though. One suggested: “The cranky old loon should have been arrested for obstruction of business.” Another said: “I would have pushed him out after the third time.”

Others supported the physical approach to dealing with the man. One commenter on the JapanToday site said: “This video made me want to punch him in the face.” Another said wrote: “If I was on that train, he would have been picking himself up off the platform.”