Police in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, have arrested a 49-year-old man after he entered an elementary school, brandishing four folding knives.
According to police, the incident occurred just after 12 noon on Wednesday. TV Asahi reported that the suspect, identified as Takeshi Amano, encountered a female teacher and threatened her with a knife. Six male teachers apprehended Amano using a "sasumata" -- a two-pronged spear fork that immobilizes and subdues an attacker.
Amano was quoted by police as saying that he broke into the school on "orders from the secret police."
© Japan Today
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Horenzo
Japanese Police in Amano Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, have arrested a 49-year-old Japanese man after he entered an elementary school, just after 12 noon on Wednesday brandishing four folding knives. He encountered a female teacher and threatened her life with a knife. The suspect was quoted by police as saying that he broke into the school on “orders from the secret police.” Oh now he claims he works for the Japanese secret police ... must be under the new secret Japanese govt law.
SauloJpn
"Orders from the secret police" -- You go in there and find the marbles that are missing from your head!
Genki/Flash
Japan is not as safe as it used to be. And all these middle aged wack jobs are coming out of the woodwork. It's time to start taking security percussions during school hours. Maybe teachers should be issued pepper spray. The world is changing and not for the better!
kitzrow
He should never have gotten into the school. Is it that easy to walk into an elementary school? If so, security is needed.
Monaka
I had no idea what a satsuma was, let alone that they were used in schools for subduing intruders.
Here's a school satsuma drill that someone has posted on YouTube (5 min.).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUkA8BlfSNY
sensei258
He just needed a warm place to stay and three meals a day for the winter.
Jake Lonergan
The police might have arrested him after, but the teachers arrested him first! Good job teachers! The heroes who courageously captured this loon should be named and celebrated!
Is he an octopus?
NathalieB
Yes. It is. Despite their claims of security, my kids elementary school had a 5 ft easy to hop over wall, a gate that was permanently unlocked, a gate intercom system where, even if you punch the button and say "Hey, Ive come here with a knife" you can still just walk in BECAUSE the gate is permanently unlocked, and a "security staff" of one geriatric man and two part time housewives who cower at the very sight of a 35 year old 100lbs blonde foreign woman.
However, that said, based on all the bullying and nut job student stories it seems the bigger threat comes from within anyway :(
turbotsat
Most schools don't have any. The only schools I've seen with any kind of security are a couple of Jewish schools (fenced and gated and one with a parent monitoring the driveway in), and a high school in San Jose (CA), fenced and gated and with reserved parking spots for "Police" and "Parole Officer", next to the spots for "Principal", "Nurse", etc.
nath
Good thing he didn't have guns, or he would have just shot the people trying to restrain him with the satsuma. Along with a bunch of kids at school. Fortunately Japanese people aren't selfish enough to think that their right to own guns trumps the lives of kids innocently studying at school.
SenseNotSoCommon
Thankfully we don't have a National Blade Association calling for all teachers to be issued with folding knives.
kitzrow
turbotsat I am talking about elementary schools in Japan. Did I misread something in your post?
Serrano
Yet another nutter. They walk among us. Beware.
turbotsat
If I say "in US" it's possible to get dull-ete-ed as oof-too-pic, even if I mean post it for comparison to Japan.
Do they use carded access or guard-controlled access in most schools in Japan? Gate control would help if he wasn't smart enough to NOT carry large weapons or NOT spout off his crazy thoughts til he got past gate security, but otherwise? He could just pose as a parent and walk right in.
Did he even 'break in' as the article says?
And how does he brandish four knives with two hands? Hold them in between his fingers or tape them somewhere like Eddie Krueger or Edward Scissorshands? Or teachers knocked the first two out of his hands with their big fork and he pulled out two more?