crime

Man slashes two women on Sapporo street

30 Comments

Two women sustained minor injuries after a man slashed them with a kitchen knife in Sapporo's Atsubetsu Ward on Friday evening, police said.

According to police, 30-year-old Atsushi Nishino attacked two women at random on the street, then burst into a dry cleaning shop and grabbed a 66-year-old clerk from behind in a head lock.

Police were alerted and arrested Nishino on charges of assault. He was quoted by police as saying that he didn't know any of the people he attacked but gave no motive.

© News reports

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

30 Comments
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sounds like he wanted some hot food & a bed for a night or two...

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Stupidity, selfishness and being generally spoiled may have something to do with it.

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What's wrong with Japanese guys in their 30s?

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Oh no! We were just planning to go to Sapporo!

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More random, pointless violence in Japan.

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Oh no! We were just planning to go to Sapporo!

Don't worry, they've arrested him...

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Woman related? Probably!

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If he is homeless and unmployed, than she should be few years behind the bars, to get his free accomodation perhaps even to learn trade to become a cook, but please keep him away from kitchen knives.

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Oh no! We were just planning to go to Sapporo!

Don't let these stories convince you that Japan isn't a safe country. By and large these are isolated incidents, they don't happen often, but when they do they're very bizarre. I was in Sapporo a couple of weeks ago and it was great!

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These incidents are (sadly) becoming so normal that it's almost worth not considering it as news-worthy anymore ...

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"What's wrong with Japanese guys in their 30s?"

Maybe the question is what is right for Japanese guys in their 30s. If they found work ten years ago, they have been slaving away for a decade and now face being laid off. They have to compete against younger people AND older people and are just figuring out that they hate their job and company anyway. They are at least 35 years away from retirement, although their parents are nearing retirement now. Burdens, responsibilities, and no support. If he is the oldest son, he probably cannot get married because no woman in her right mind is going to get married just to be a mother to a 30 year old and nurse to his parents.

Younger people are not so disillusioned yet. Older ones might be kind of coasting. All are willing to work for less, and settle for less.

It is no reason to go slashing people, and hey, things are rough all over, but I am sure it is a dark time for a lot of guys like him now.

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Usually it is stabby summer here so you could blame it on the heat. Not anymore.

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Didn't something like this happen about 3 weeks ago but the guy used a razor blade instead of a kitchen knife? There's no mention of him being drunk or on drugs so my question is - is this just NORMAL behavior for a criminal in Japan?????

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but that's another story altogether

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The regularity of this kind of attack makes me wonder where they get their ideas. It seems to be a common kind of attack in Japan. Is it possible there is web site or blog for these losers to learn their craft? - Sadly, as a foreigner, if you were to witness one of these attacks and apprehend the loser (injuring him in the process, of course) you would be in as much, if not more do-do then the loser.

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@ bushlover

"Stupidity, selfishness and being generally spoiled may have something to do with it."

Amen!

and tying to cover up for criminals, or excusing bad behavior is good old stinking thinking.

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Every year I hear stories of a crazy, knife-wielding man in the streets of Atsubetsu-ku, but I always thought it's just an urban myth. This year it actually happened. Whodda thunk?

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Boss - episode 2 - maybe they should stop airing thoses dramas

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A few stats for anyone interested: In 2007, there were 40% more knife crimes than there were 5 years earlier. The numbers are still quite low compared to other countries; fewer than 5,000 violations of the knife crime law.

Random assaults are always particularly disturbing. A crime of passion is no less forgiveable but at least we can understand the motive behind it. A crazy man on the streets, slashing women with no apparent reason is frightening and makes Japan seem like a dangerous place.

It's hard to say whether the number of violent crimes in Japan is actually increasing. I think that more crimes are being reported and recorded creating the impression that there is more crime. Then there are more stories in the media which results in fear and panic. Finally, the public demands harsher punishments. Harsher punishments means more people going to prison for longer time and also probably leads to a crack -down on crime, more arrests and ex-convicts who become repeat offenders. And the cycle continues...

Basically, Japan is still a pretty safe country and crime hasn't increased very much. It's only the public's perception that has changed drastically.

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Kitchen knives should be banned. Problem solved.

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What's wrong with Japanese guys in their 30s?

don't loop the whole country in with this guy.

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dolphingirl - The numbers are still quite low compared to other countries;

That may be so, but the knife crimes in other countries are usually the result of street and bar fights. They are not the result of some lunatic walking around randomly slashing at people, as is all too often the case in Japan.

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Maybe seasonal change is connected to a mad man in 30's slashing knives.

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Is it possible there is web site or blog for these losers to learn their craft?

I believe the ideas come from 2channel.

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"grabbed a 66-year-old clerk from behind in a headlock"

That's it - ban wrestling!

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I wonder if there are more random knife attacks or if it is just reported more now than in the past. There is reason to believe that social changes in Japan can be attributing to this type of behaviour. Enonomic insecurity and an uncertain future for the nation as a whole due to a declining/aging population and staggering debt and welfare obligations make for bleak prospects for a young man. Woman don't want to marry at a young age and many don't want to be married at all. These aren't excuses but perhaps contributing factors to this type of an outburst. Then again, Nishino is probably just a nut case.

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@Disillusioned

"dolphingirl - The numbers are still quite low compared to other countries;That may be so, but the knife crimes in other countries are usually the result of street and bar fights. They are not the result of some lunatic walking around randomly slashing at people, as is all too often the case in Japan."

I agree, thanks for keeping the FOCUS, that's a main problem over here in Japan.

BTW you should see what the US embassy says about "crime in Japan its very intersting.

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I am simply glad he did not kill anybody!

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Disillusioned: Street fights and bar fights seem pretty random as well. They are unplanned, impulsive and offender may not know his victim. And they probably stem from basically the same emotions: frustration, rage, jealousy, rejection...

I would guess that crimes of passion, where the perpetrator knows the victim, are far more common than random crimes in any country but we are more shocked when we hear about random violence because the victim could be anyone, even us.

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