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A 21-year-old man was arrested for breaking the Firearms and Swords Law on Sunday, accused of possessing two knives and threatening a fourth-grade elementary school student with one of them in the gymnasium at Komazawa University’s campus in Setagaya Ward.
Police received a call from a student at around 12.30 p.m. Sunday, saying that he and a few other students had restrained a man wielding a knife. Police rushed to the scene and arrested the man. He is accused of entering the common room at the gymnasium and pulling a knife known as a "nata" in Japanese – similar to a small machete and having a blade nearly 25 centimeters long – from his backpack and grabbing a fourth-grade elementary schoolboy from behind before putting the knife to this throat. He was quickly overpowered by other university students but one of them had his finger cut in the incident. The elementary schoolboy was not injured.
Two other university students were taken to hospital after inhaling fumes emanating from the gasoline-filled glass bottles found in the man’s bag. Several lighters and a knife with a blade of about 15 centimeters were also found in his bag, police said.
The man, whose name has not been released, is a fourth-year business student at the university but had deferred his studies since April. He reportedly did not say anything as he entered the common room nor after he was held by other students, but has admitted to possessing the knives and commented vaguely to police about having a grudge against the club he used to be a member of, saying he felt rejected. Another student told police that the man had attempted suicide last year.
The university was forced to cancel the summer event open to the public on Sunday, which the club helped organize. Police also said that another gasoline-filled bottle fitted with a timing device was found in the club room.
© News reports
16 Comments
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chuckers
I almost took my daughter to this event yesterday. Good thing we went to a closer summer festival.
timorborder
And for all of you just tuning in, welcome to another week in Japan.
Jkanda
for all those who were saying that there was nothing wrong in bringing an airsoft gun to school, 'cos this is Japan - something to think about. If Japan has incidence of shooting in schools like in US, then they better maintain that by not allowing knives and guns, real or replicas to schools.
Besides that, NPA announced in April 2008 that "Stalkers, Spouse Abusers, Bankrupts, Suicidal to Lose Their Guns in Japan", I am not sure how seriously they are doing this.They better take incidents like this more seriously. Reading news like this often, makes you wonder how many need to check their mental stability. With the current financial strain quite many are not able to withstand the pressure.
tuneintokyo
Too bad he didn't succeed.
Jkanda
Sorry. If Japan has NO incidence of shooting in schools like in US, then they better maintain that by not allowing knives and guns, real or replicas to schools.
kyoken
So this lunatic was arrested for the possession of banned knifes rather than for attempted murder. Good that he did not use a sharpened spoon or a long screwdriver instead, or he would walk free, wouldn't he?
Does it work to ban the tools? No. Though it makes us feel safe as something is done. Sadly we take our view on reality and our education from television. So in the reality of the masses the knife and guns become the impostor and these need to be banned to make us safe.
How would it have been if the person in this case would have been educated to value the life of others; that there are other possibilities to succeed life even if the study at his University is derailing ... that life is not always an even road.
It is far more difficult, I know. And where take the universal values from? So we keep on banning the tools used by derailed minds and avoid creating a mentally stronger nation.
sf2k
yes the "After 4" specials back in the day were the best means of counselling for kids and taught valuable life lessons. Mentally ill are mentally ill though, however if providing an outlet for frustration that values life instead would be a plus.
@kyoken It's hard to teach the value of life when Japan values suicide as an option
tamesu
Well another koseki to-hon imbued,
"So this lunatic was arrested for the possession of banned knifes rather than for attempted murder." --I agree!
I bet has walked by several kobans freely before he entered the facility.
Well at least he's documented...for what that's worth..in Japan
doedel
It sounds not very safe to run around with gasoline in bottles either, given the hot weather. This could have ended much worse, I guess.
kennygray
flashpoint of gasoline - 246C - a knife wielded by a 21 year old man to the throat of 4th grade elementary school child seems the greater of the two concerns
LIBERTAS
Aaahhh! Japan is safety, I see!
ca1ic0cat
This guy should be charged with more than possession of a weapon. I hope that's what the cops booked him on to keep him locked up while they get the rest of the evidence to prosecute a more serious crime.
DELTA440
gasoline tanks with a timer this dude was a terrorist he was gona gut that kid then blow the place up
Elbuda Mexicano
Something is very, very wrong with this 21 year old. Needs to be locked up and have many, many mental check ups!
Ken Watanabe
Unlike guns, the knives do not require people for license registration, and they are widely available in any town. And it's very hard to detect the weapons because most knives are smaller than the guns, and even long ones can be foldable into a hand-size such as butterfly knives.) No wonder it is dangerous if these acute weapons are in the wrong hands.
nandakandamanda
This was a Nata, which is considered 'safer' in that it usually has a blunt end, thus cannot be used for stabbing as with a traditional pointed weapon.
For small pic of various Nata:
http://www.hounen.co.jp/jpg/engei/tomoenata.JPG