An 82-year-old woman died after she was stabbed by a woman in her 40s as they both got off a bus in Ome, Tokyo, on Friday.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. The victim, Itsuko Kubo, was stepping off the bus when a woman passenger behind her suddenly stabbed her several times in the neck and back.
A witness called 110. Kubo was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Police said the woman who stabbed her has been rambling incoherently since her arrest, and that she claimed to be schizophrenic. They are checking to see if she has any such medical history.
© Japan Today
30 Comments
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Silvafan
Wow!
Do the hustle
Holy smoke! Another nutter carrying a knife around. Perhaps Japan is not the safe haven it tours itself as. Yeah, you are not likely to be mugged on the street it gets caught up in a bar fight, but there seems to be no shortage of loons running around with the “I just wanted to kill someone!” delusion spinning in their head.
Vince Black
You can see these people everywhere you go in japan. Mumbling to themselves or having conversations with invisible enemies. Really disturbing that japan just lets these sickos wander around unattended
Hervé L'Eisa
There are LOTS of lunatics out in public. The mentally unstable are often around the public transport.
pudus
"You can see these people everywhere you go in japan. Mumbling to themselves or having conversations with invisible enemies."
I have seen at least 20 so far, nothing will happen to them unless they "jump" or take out another JN.
Kobe White Bar Owner
A lot of mentally sick people are in OPEN facilities/ housing where they can go out as they please. The being yashashi factor is what killed this old girl. My wife’s a nurse at one facility and the stuff she tells me would give you nightmares. Watch ya back folks it really is One flew over the cuckoos nest out there!
commanteer
Come on. Mentally stable people don't stab random old women on the back as they get off a bus. Unless we find that she was the woman's life insurance beneficiary, it's pretty safe to assume the attacker is crazy. You do see a lot of middle ages crazies here all bottled up and steaming with anger. As a foreigner, I give these women/men a wide berth. They may not try to stab me, but they might cause some other incident that will bring the police. And we know how that would go.
Jandworld
It may have been about money issues.
simon g
You forgot the commenting on things on the internet and asking questions to random strangers. Who is to know who is crazy or not?
rgcivilian1
I do agree it is shocking and it could have been anyone. Something must have really triggered the outburst.
Mark
Mentally unstable people are every where i go, it is widely accepted here they even drive cars and have a licence. some can't even write but somehow they passed the driving test.
I am shocked sometime at the number of these ill people, most are very peaceful i guess,!! but not sure what will they do if triggered.
WilliB
Support for mental patients is very poor in Japan. One of the things that should be improved here.
Fuzzy
Best to steer clear of people mumbling incoherently to themselves. Have seen it many times on the train in Tokyo. Whenever I do, the very next stop I'll move to the next carriage. Why take a chance with an obvious ticking time bomb.
Kumagaijin
They're not all 'sickos' and they exist in all societies. Some are kept in institutions and some are homeless wondering the streets. But lets be honest, there are way more crimes being conducted by 'normal' people than the so called 'sickos'.
Ken Wyatt
All this has done is made me paranoid about all these people on the train who keep looking around nervously, whispering to themselves and making weird noises.
Vince Black
On another sad note, because of her “mental illness” she will avoid the death penalty.
83 years old and to end her life like that on a bus because of some sick animal who should’ve been somewhere under lock and key or at the very least with a minder.
kurisupisu
Instead of buying weapons from the US, the Japanese government must start to give back to the people !!!
Nator
That's so sad. I was looking forward to a good execution too!
ohara
but there seems to be no shortage of loons running around with the “I just wanted to kill someone!” delusion spinning in their head.
Thats for sure. Japan.
Kobe White Bar Owner
WilliBJuly 11 08:10 pm JST
Support for mental patients is very poor in Japan. One of the things that should be improved here.
yup they still tie them to the bed with rope for their own good of course and rarely turn them so bed sores are common.
Hokkaidoboy
I have autism and I find it senseless the lots of people on here saying the "mentally unstable" should be locked away. This woman claims to be schizophrenic, it's not even proved. But jumping to conclusions before proof is the typical hysteria from yellow journalism and its followers.
William Bjornson
Well, Willb, time to come back home and smell the cordite after a poorly trained and panicking enforcer wildly empties an entire clip into a young man's back and anything sticking up downrange...and no shortage of recordings and images documenting the facts...IF ONLY it were fake news...
theFu
Crazy people with weapons harming others.
What is wrong with our world?
wowyz
"the woman repeatedly slashed her with the knife, including to the neck."
“I thought it would be enjoyable to stab someone,” the suspect was quoted by police."
OMG!
ref: https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/tokyo-woman-fatally-stabs-bus-passenger-in-ome/