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Tokyo's Akihabara district on Thursday marked the 15th anniversary of a stabbing rampage that killed seven and injured 10 others.
Passersby placed flowers and offered prayers near the intersection where Tomohiro Kato, a 39-year-old former temp worker, mowed down pedestrians in a vehicle-free zone with a truck, killing three people, at around 12:30 p.m. on June 8, 2008. He then got out of his truck and randomly stabbed passers-by with a knife. Four of the victims died.
Kato was sentenced to death in 2011 by the Tokyo District Court. He appealed the ruling but the Supreme Court rejected his appeal in 2015. He was executed last July. The Supreme Court said in its ruling that Kato was motivated by rage after being harassed on an internet forum he had become engrossed in.
Kato said he had scouted the location before the rampage to make sure there would be lots of people. He also had posted on internet message boards several warnings that he was planning to kill people in a mass attack.
© Japan Today
5 Comments
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Antiquesaving
What find interesting is still today the police patrol especially on Sunday the area of Akihabara this happened.
They stop and search people's bags.
I have lived near the area for over 30 years and am often in Akihabara.
I was stopped once asked to see inside my small backpack.
I asked why?
The police proceeded to tell me about this "knife" attack.
I stopped him mid sentence and said you were probably in Junior high at the time, I was here in Akihabara the day it happened!
Why search bags seeing the guy first used a truck?
He wasn't walking down the street with a backpack and knife, he drove a truck and brought a knife, so explain to me the reasoning behind stopping random people to search their backpack?
His old partner intervened and just said " nevermind he is Ok" and told me I could just leave no longer interested in searching my bag.
I still don't get the reasoning but as recent as last week in Akihabara I watched the police randomly searching people's bags .
They stop mostly Japanese, But what perplexed me more was why even bother stopping foreigners, the killer was Japanese.
Albert
@antiquesaving
And your point is?
Police may ask to search, you have the right to deny if there is no reason. But just opening your back is easy and you can happily go your way again. If you really do not agree you can always make a complain.
I'm here 20 years but have been stopped twice. I just corporate and moved on. Less time involved and nothing to hide.
In many countries there is racial profiling or just because you are foreigner. Even in the so called great first world countries. Which i think are more worse in some cases.
Antiquesaving
I have been here over 30 years but I guess need an explanation, why well only you can answer that.
The backwards reasoning of the police!
They say the reason to search is this attack 15 years ago by a Japanese person in a truck.
What does that have to do with people especially foreigners with backpack?
If you are able to give a logical link between a truck and knife attack by a Japanese person and searching pedestrian bags and especially foreigners ( who BTW were the first to run and try helping the victims 15 years ago) then great I await your LOGICAL explanation of a connection.
As for your many countries doing racial profiling what does that have to do with the price of butter?
Again the attacker was Japanese so why bother worrying about foreigners?
Racial profiling has to do with targeting someone because they group tends to be more involved in certain activities.
I again point out it wasn't a foreigner that did the attack.
And I again point out the reason given for searching people is the attack 15 years ago.
I do get tired of certain foreigners making excuses for things the Japanese police and authorities do.
The reasoning is illogical regardless if the person behind searched is Japanese or Gaijin.
TokyoLiving
Well deserved...
As it should be...
factchecker
J cops are dullards. I don't know why you think any different given your longevity here.