3 dead, 1 wounded in crossbow attack; suspect arrested

I'm at a loss for words with how could you even consider pointing a loaded weapon at your family. The good thing about bows is unlike guns, you really don't have a legitimate excuse that it misfired.

Family members murdering Each other in japan. Hardly news anymore

Young person with anger issues who lacked self control, respect and a few other mental and emotional resources, RIP to his victims so sad !

The whole family are victims in this awful situation. More mental health checks and services, please.

Vince Black

Family members murdering Each other in japan. Hardly news anymore

Then how do you explain it is in the news every time? Remember, this is a country of 120 million. Fact is, it is remarkable how little crime there is here.

" a woman with an arrow protruding from her ear had run out of the house screaming for help."

wow that's pretty gruesome.

"he killed his mother and grandmother"

just terrible I tell you just terrible, lock him up for life.

"lock him up for life."

Nah, he''ll maybe be back on the streets in some time, according to the kangaroo system

They will probably go lenient on him for mental issues, and not see him as threat to JN society, because Japan has such low crime.

I guess an argument started the chain of events - SO Hideaki Nozu gets his crossbow loads it and points and shoots the first family member, Why then didn't the other three family members run out the house for safety ??? Did they just wait around for their turn to be shot ??? While Hideaki was reloading they could have ran out the house, If by chance he was blocking the front door then attack him.

Without all the facts everything else is speculation and bias.

We have no idea what his motive was, what triggered him to do this, the circumstances surrounding him, in fact nothing relevant at all.

To those demanding he be locked up or hanged, how do you know he wasn’t mentally and physically abused over a long period leading to this? The simple fact is none of us know the whole story.

The good thing about bows is unlike guns, you really don't have a legitimate excuse that it misfired.

A crossbow can misfire. It's a projectile under tension with a trigger that releases it. Once loaded, it's not unlike a gun.

That said, neither a gun nor a crossbow misfires multiple times in different directions to wound or kill four individuals.

And, really, "it misfired" is never an excuse with any weapon. Yes, weapons can misfire. It's always the responsibility of person using a gun to make sure it is aimed in a safe direction. A misfire vs. intentional shooting might change criminal charges from manslaughter to murder, but it's still criminal to mishandle a gun or bow.

Now, cue the legislation to ban bows in Japan. It might get some pushback from archery clubs around Japan, but authorities were able to ban knives without any real blowback from housewives whose kitchen knives are, technically, illegal if they ever leave the house. The common game of passing a law that will never be enforced, but is at least on the books to enforce if the police ever need it, shall begin.

Just when you thought Japan was normal. Hang on! I never thought that. So many unusual incidents like this have made me impervious to the goings on and I barely bat an eyelid anymore. Condolences to the family. Gees!

Well its getting summertime, expect more cases like this 10 fold....and much more.

Not the first crossbow attack this year, and surely not be the last either. In fact we can probably expect copycat scenes if the press gives this too much oxygen.

When a young family member with "Issues" is offered help by way of Counselling, and refuses to take that advice, what other option is left open to you ?

Sadly, I fear that this may have been the situation here.

In which case, what could have been done, and what can be done in future to prevent such incidents from continually arising ?

Ideas / Suggestions ?

Just sick. No excuse.

Wow, I live here. Such a peaceful place usually.

Egads. How horrible. Looks like a typical neighborhood in any city in Japan. Just around the corner a secret dysfunctional family. How sad it had to come to a boil like this. I'm always telling my kids, yell as much as you like, just never hurt anyone physically. Punch a pillow if necessary. This is well beyond that, however. RIP to the two women.

Just when you thought Japan was normal. Hang on! I never thought that. So many unusual incidents like this have made me impervious to the goings on and I barely bat an eyelid anymore.

I would guess you must feel much safer in a place like the USA, where violent riots are the norm.

What could be the motive for this?

Takarazuka, i used to live there. I recognize the surroundings. What a horrible incident. And with a crossbow?! This guy needs help badly. Something has definitely gone seriously wrong up in that head of his.

" a woman with an arrow protruding from her ear had run out of the house screaming for help."

wow that's pretty gruesome.

And she was the only one that survived.. unfortunately the younger brother did not make it.

https://this.kiji.is/641249791823365217

"Wow, I live here. Such a peaceful place usually."

Me too. Where I live quiet place small city near the beach, seems great. Have two hikikomori kids next door,

one in his forties the other in his twenties. Both very strange one more than the other. I try to think they are harmless, but cannot. The whole family as a unit is broken, starting with their late grandfather to his kids, one of his kids brothers, their kids. There is two and a half different families under the one roof. Enough to make anyone crack. I don't know the situation with this incident, but that will come out soon.

Someone mentioned about the low crime rate in Japan, thats true, But I reckon this kind of crime in more prevalent here than other countries. Socially inept people, often treated badly by members of their own family.

The grandfather next door would constantly verbally berate his own hikikomori kid and grandson. Him passing was the best thing for the family next door. (needless to say not all families, but a lot)

point being no love or support at home, hard to get from the outside, twang, snap. Has been seen time and time again. For a developed country the number of people who cannot function in society in some capacity is really quite alarming. ( again dont know the situation in this case but maybe)

 a woman with an arrow protruding from her ear had run out of the house screaming for help.

That is pretty horrific. Don't know how someone could do that to an animal much less a family member. Did he have a beef with all of them or just one but decided to kill everyone? No freedom for this guy for at least 40 years or so.

So they will ban crossbows next. And when the next murder is done with a brick they will ban bricks. Soon they will ban hands to prevent strangling.

This is the usual overly simplistic and utterly ridiculous argument from gun nuts. C'mon, it's a tired argument. Need to come up with something better. Here's a simple question for you: Ever seen a brick, knife, crossbow or whatever put multiple wounds all over a random group of people in a matter of seconds at a distance of many meters from a high rooftop? I am willing to bet if the young guy in this story had a chance to get his hands on a gun he would have picked it over the crossbow. That is why it is good that Japan does not believe in the same b.s that is killing people at an unprecedented rate in the U.S. and many other countries. I write negative stuff about Japan all the time but coming here was eye-opening in that it made me realize that having guns all over your house should NOT be the norm. Just randomly shooting a jogger you (mistakenly) THINK may have been burglarizing a construction site is NOT normal. Twenty thousand gun-related deaths is NOT normal. Keeping a gun in your drawer where a young child could find it and kill himself or someone else is NOT normal. Until I got here I didn't even know that there were places like Japan in the world! Thank God there are!

This is the usual overly simplistic and utterly ridiculous argument from gun nuts. C'mon, it's a tired argument.

When a guy did a mass public knife attack some years back, Japan banned knives. (Oddly, they didn't ban delivery trucks, which the assailant also used, and which actually harmed more people in the attack.) That chef knife you have in your kitchen? Walk out the door with that in Japan, and you're technically breaking the law unless you've applied for a special permit from the police. The burden is on you to show that you have a valid and lawful reason (such as taking it to a knife sharpener) to have it outside of your home. Police never try to arrest housewives and families doing barbecues because there is an unwritten code in Japan to put many laws on the books that are never enforced unless the police feel the need to. But it doesn't change the fact that knives longer than your pinky finger are banned.

That Japan would ban something in the wake of an attack is far from a ridiculous argument. It's reality.

Over-stimulated in his youth from too much phone and computer use, no doubt.

Japan must properly tackle mental health.

It saddens me to see people I love and care about hurting eachother, and really I love and care about Japanese people, so this along with the death of Hana Kimura is very sad. Japanese people please appreciate your own people more and stop harming eachother. Japan is a beautiful country and Japanese people - you are all very special. May they all RIP.

I wonder if Japan's "justice system" will give this man the death penalty for multiple murders of his family members.

Japan has a very similar murder rate to most other countries. The idea that it is safer than others misleading. Mugging and break ins are less but murder not so different. Family members are the most likely person to kill you.

Terrible. I hope he gets the help he needs.

mikeylikesit

When a guy did a mass public knife attack some years back, Japan banned knives. (Oddly, they didn't ban delivery trucks, which the assailant also used, and which actually harmed more people in the attack.) 

Is that the one in Akihabara in 2008? Four were killed by knife (eight injured) and three by truck (two injured) Also, Japan has many knife attacks. Such as the one in Samigahara where 19 were killed. And the two deaths and 16 injuries to mostly school children in Kawasaki last year. And eight kids killed at an Osaka school in 2001. Still, count the number of knives you have in your house and multiply that by the number of households in Japan. Then contrast that number with how many people are killed or injured by knives.

That chef knife you have in your kitchen? Walk out the door with that in Japan, and you're technically breaking the law unless you've applied for a special permit from the police. 

So what? Do you do a lot of food preparation out in the street? Any Japanese family I have ever barbecued with (granted I haven’t barbecued with every single Japanese family) prepares the food at home. For anything they’ve forgotten they use scissors or a small knife.

But it doesn't change the fact that knives longer than your pinky finger are banned.

More specifically, folding knives or double edged knives. Fixed blade knives are allowable up to 15 cms. Although happy to be corrected on that.

Mr Kipling

Japan has a very similar murder rate to most other countries.

Can you provide your source, please?

Japan is not safe.

Japan has a very similar murder rate to most other countries.

Not sure what planet or fantasy world you're living in because of the virus, but Japan's homicide rate is 1/3 the rate of famously safe New Zealand, and 1/2 the rate of comically safe Norway. Japan's murder rate is also 20 times lower than the USA where ordinary citizens are strangled to death and murdered on the streets at will, often by the police who are claiming to protect them. The data will never support you when comparing a developed nation to a failed state like the US.

Horrible incident.

And I wonder...where are the grandfather and father?

Someone mentioned about the low crime rate in Japan, thats true, But I reckon this kind of crime in more prevalent here than other countries.

More likely that most such killings stay as local news. Even in the UK, which does have national newspapers, the stories tend to be in the tabloids and local news, not the broadsheets.