A 17-year-old girl was arrested on Monday afternoon after she allegedly stabbed her classmate in a university gym in Koyacho, Wakayama Prefecture.
According to police, the incident took place at Koyasan University at about 2 p.m. The two girls were cleaning up the gym after a volleyball class when witnesses heard them arguing, NTV reported. Police said that the suspect then stabbed her classmate in the back, piercing the lung.
The victim was taken to hospital where she is in a serious but stable condition, NTV reported. Police said the suspect has so far given no motive for the attack. She was quoted by police as saying she had the knife in her pocket.
School officials said both girls were serious and quiet students and that they were unaware of any trouble between the two, NTV reported.
© Japan Today
32 Comments
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Yubaru
It's the quiet and serious types that are the scariest. I hope she gets some counselling.
nath
What did she get stabbed with? If she brought a knife to school she was planning it.
OMGhontoni
She may have been "quiet and serious" but any kid that brings a knife to school has got some serious problems going on.
Clemens Simon
Matthew Simon:
Sound premeditated to me (too).
Saul Schimek
Prayers for the stabbing victim
Franchesca Miyara Yang
Classic! They never have a clue of what's really going on. They're are too busy sipping tea and talking about the weather alright!
GenConsensus
C'mon, we're in college now. Leave all the backstabbing back in high school!
Ekkusaito
Japan has been very stabby lately. Quite worrying.
Molenir
17 years old and in college? Really?
Clemens Simon
Molenir:
No, not really. Japanese news reports them as being in 3rd grade (of highschool). It's more likely that they were just using the university facilities to practice volleyball.
Shiree McCarver
What happen to meditating? Stabbings in Japan are getting as bad as shootings in America.
wontond
It's the season, for some reason stabbings (or at least news stories about stabbings) seem to increase with the warm weather.
lucabrasi
@Shiree
As soon as reach eighteen stabbing murders every single day of the year (not accidents or just woundings: murders) in Japan, then your comment might be start to be relevant. Long way to go.
Clemens Simon
Shiree McCarver:
Meditating? This here ain't Nepal, sista! ; ) You might be able to practice meditation at a Zen monastery but you should understand that the real Japan, the one these two girls live in, is quite different from what you've gathered (so far) from Hollywood movies. It's all about belonging to a certain group and acceptance. Highschool kids aren't interested in meditation. There are also no Ninja Turtles here ; )
CrazyJoe
Too many kids snap (キレル) too easily.
nath
Thank the gods these nutty Japanese only have knives and not guns.
JA_Cruise
the victim is lucky to be alive
Disillusioned
I've always said, "It is the quiet ones you have to watch out for!" - I wonder how many other teenagers are carrying knives in their pockets during cleaning time at high school and college.
nandakandamanda
Who knows? Many people carry a fruit knife with their bento box.
Mirai Hayashi
Boyfriend sharing...is my guess
Tizalleyman
Maybe the school officials are too busy educating the students on topics of instruction. Do you really think it possible that educators are going to be able to pay attention to each and every squabble amongst teenage girls?!? You'd need a whole new department just for that...LMAO
nath
backstabber!
TorafusuTorasan
This is only a week after another incident at a store in Wakayamashi in which a man stabbed his (ex?) girlfriend and then later threw himself off a building. It didn't make the national news at all as far as I could tell.
Is the nonfatal stabbing more newsworthy because of the age of the girls (an "AKB gone bad" angle) or is it because Koyasan is a top tourist destination and there were enough people who noticed the police to get it publicized?
IncenseAndPeppermints
She is only 17 and didn't know any better. In three more years she will, cause that is what the law says.
Ridiculous! Try her as an adult. Then reduce the age of majority to 16 at least so we don't have to even think about this silliness any more.
sandiegoluv
Do you know what is needed here? Student advisers and counselors! These kids need to be talking to people that they can trust in their schools. I used to be a full time teacher in high schools here and i saw no efforts at all to see what is going on with these kids and what they are going through in those schools. It might now have helped in this case, but who knows? It could have been avoided.
Also, I am all for putting cameras in schools and frisking students or at least finding out what they are carrying in their bags and pockets. Metal detectors, security guards and other such things would also help. I wish I could watch my daughter at school and see what the heck is going on in her school.
sandiegoluv
I forgot something. Lower the age of responsibility. With or without counseling, teenagers are fully aware of their actions and should be held fully responsible for their actions. This system of coddling them is ridiculous. It is not going act as a deterrent or curb these acts too much, but who cares? They know what their doing.
Another thing that might help, is if schools try to focus more on teaching ethics and make it part of their grades. When I was a kid, we were given two grades in each subject. One for our scholastic achievements and the other for the way we conducted ourselves in school. It would be good for junior highs, senior highs and universities to see what they are getting and might help to change how these kids conduct themselves if they think it might affect what kind of schools they will be going to.
I am just saying.
smithinjapan
There was probably already some grudge or ill-will between the girls, but certainly no reason to stab someone. FAR too many stabbings here lately...
TokyoHipHop
Like i said... its that time of seasons, stress, entrance exams, it aint over! Be more aware teachers dangit! Might have to rethink studying abroad in next year if stabbings get more more rapid lol.
Noliving
Actually the comment is relevant because the person said shootings not murders. In other words the comment is about assault with a deadly weapon. Also the girl in this case that was stabbed would have died if not for medical treatment.
lucabrasi
(Sorry, sent that last post before I'd finished it.)
Anyway let's look at assault with deadly weapons. According to the US government, there were an average of 1236 such assaults every day in 2010. (Includes firearms, cutting weapons and "personal weapons").
In the light of which I alter my previous comment:
As soon as Japan reaches a rate of 1200 assaults with deadly weapons every single day then let's talk about comparisons with the US. Otherwise, let's not waste each others' time.
BurakuminDes
Very common in Australia - I was 17 in Uni - but rather rare here. I think she was just using the facilities, and was a HS girl?
whiskeysour
QUIET PEOPLE ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS