Police in Yokohama on Saturday arrested a 67-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he stabbed a friend of his son as they were drinking on New Year’s Eve.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 2:40 a.m. Saturday at the man’s apartment in Tsurumi Ward, Sankei Shimbun reported. Police said the suspect, Toshiaki Suzuki, had been drinking with his son, the son’s friend, who is in his 40s, and a fourth man.
At some point, Suzuki got into an argument with his son’s friend, and when his son left the room for a short time, Suzuki stabbed the man in the stomach with a knife before he could be restrained. The victim was taken to hospital where he is in a serious condition, police said.
Police quoted Suzuki as saying he stabbed the man out of anger but did not intend to kill him.
© Japan Today
29 Comments
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Kobe White Bar Owner
Pride pride and pride, comes before the fall,
Good
Just wanted to see some guts. I'd love to hear what they were arguing about.
Monty
When I read stories like that, I am always surprised how fast they do have knifes ready.
If me and my friends eat something during a drinking party, we eat with Chopsticks.
Knives are in cabinets and drawers. If we drink on Tatami, means we have to first stand up, walk to the kitchen, open the drawer...and so on...
Good
When I read stories like that, I am always surprised how fast they do have knifes ready.
If me and my friends eat something during a drinking party, we eat with Chopsticks.
Knives are in cabinets and drawers. If we drink on Tatami, means we have to first stand up, walk to the kitchen, open the drawer...and so on...
Excellent point. Wonder if the J police will think of this...
Lindsay
I fear it is alcohol to blame here.
diagonalslip
@Monty
I don't understand this! because you think someone's likely to get upset and stab someone? or what? (serious question!!!!)
purple_depressed_bacon
Mmm yes. I'm sure that when you intentionally slip a sharp pointy object into someone's gut, murder is the last thing on your mind.
That and the fact that he was carrying a weapon. To a party. Not premeditated at all.
Monty
@Diagonalslip
There were 4 persons attending that drinking party.
3 persons in their 40s, 1 person 67.
1 person left the room, so 3 were remaining.
And then the oldest person, who is 67, stabbed one person suddenly?
Where did he get the knife?
Was the knife on the table?
I don't think so, because japanese people almost never put knives on the table.
So was the knife in the old man's pocket?
If not, where did he get the knife?
From a drawer or cabinet?
And If he didn't have the knife immediately ready, which means on the table or in his pocket, he must take it out from the cabinet or drawer.
And he is 67 years old. And why do the two 40 years old not stop him, when he walks to the drawer to take a knife?
In all japanese households, I have been for parties, there were never a knife on the table.
Some households doesn't even have a knife.
Simon Foston
What exactly is a "drinking party" anyway? I know about birthday parties, Christmas parties, Hanami parties, graduation parties and so on, so I can only assume from the name that the only reason for these kinds of parties is to get wrecked. Or it could be one of these Japanese English expressions that no one will point out sounds a bit stupid.
Monty
@FYI
Don't underestimate plastic spoons, paper plates, and Dixie cups.
McGuywer or visionary Kung Fu Masters can turn everything into a weapon. Lol
Kumagaijin
One too many JiJi (old man) jokes I imagine. Or, maybe the son's friend didn't fill the glass for Suzuki.
William77
Exactly,this story sounds so very Japanese.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this could be one of the reasons.
Knowing how patriarchal and sempai/kohai is set this society.
Politik Kills
Societies that don’t worship guns seem to be very stabby. What the hell?! If you pick up a knife to attack another person, you are stepping over a line that separates rationality and murderous intent.
Harry_Gatto
Seems all the Japanese dining experts are out in force today.
Wow, insights like this are so rare.
shogun36
Sounds like a great party host.
come to my house.
drink with men.
possibly get stabbed!
Mickelicious
In Japan? Just people who only ever eat from the konbini.
Presumably this is the suspect's apartment. Were the men welcome guests?
What other context don't we know?
Thomas Twatt
Ah, perhaps our assumption - that the sole purpose of drinking is ‘to get wrecked’ - reveals as much, if not more, about us than about the culture of the ‘nomikai’?
Cheers!
TT
Akuma
“I stabbed him but I wasn’t trying to kill him“. Perfect JPNSlogic.
Michael Machida
Crazy way to begin the new year.
Johansawada
This is exactly why I don’t dare to disagree with my father in law…. Japan is the best in everything they do in his old man eyes… I just bite my lip and move on…
lordoflys
You could always just fill your tableware drawer is plastic sporks. They're pretty useful eating tools if the rice isn't too sticky or if you're not in a hurry to eat your soup. They're never dangerous and provide months of useful service. Seriously, I've lived in Japan for 38 years. Only one time did I drink (in Aomori-ken) about 30 years ago when an elderly Japanese gentleman lost his cool and started yelling at us about WW2. Not cool and we downed the shochu and walked down the street.
BackpackingNepal
Must be like the scene from the movie 'Parasite' when the character is put off by the other character and you just can't control it.
WilliB
Good
They were drinking in his apartment, so you can assume the kitchen counter was just a few steps away.
WilliB
lordoflys
Have you tried cutting meat and vegetables with plastic spoons? I would like to a video of that. I would say it is hard to run a kitchen without kitchen knife...
Kobe White Bar Owner
@JohansawadaToday 03:02 pm JST
This is exactly why I don’t dare to disagree with my father in law…. Japan is the best in everything they do in his old man eyes… I just bite my lip and move on…
exactly, same here. He’s never left the country either and repeatedly asks me how many countries I’ve visited where I reply 35 or so. The deep seated inferiority complex is never far away and needs to be suppressed at all cost! Sad but true.
Kobe White Bar Owner
@expat
What drinking game were they playing?
I think it goes..Rock,Scissors,Paper,Knife.