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Woman arrested for stabbing 11-year-old boy in Osaka

43 Comments

Police in Osaka arrested a 35-year-old woman on Wednesday for allegedly stabbing an 11-year-old boy while he was walking home from school.

Police said the attack took place just after 3 p.m. in Yodogawa Ward. A witness said the woman jumped on the boy and started stabbing him, TV Asahi reported.

The suspect, identified as Maharu Nagatsuma, was charged with attempted murder. She was quoted by police as saying that she didn't know the boy, but gave no motive.

Police said the boy suffered four stab wounds to his chest and arms but they are not life-threatening, TV Asahi reported.

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43 Comments
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She the perfect candidate for the cackle factory, she just jumped this kid and stabbed him 4 times in the chest. She went tick tick Boom on the kid.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Undiagnosed, untreated mental illness is a terrible thing. I hope the poor kid comes through this with his physical and mental scars fully healed.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Scary...random stabbing with no apparent motive...how do you defend against that?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

holy crap wtf. Out of the blue? ticking time bomb indeed.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Hmmm, I wonder if she got the idea from the high school kid who stabbed a couple of girls.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

what did she stab him with?

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

poor kid! hope he gets better and his life back to normal soon!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

A horrifying experience for this young boy, I hope he recovers soon and the awfull perpertrator is made to regret utter her henious assault

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Bottling up stress seems to be japanese "bunka" (tradition)

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

Bottling up stress seems to be japanese "bunka" (tradition)

That's right. It accounts for the fact there are never incidents of people going on a rampage in any other country but Japan.

I bow down to your genius.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

What do you think it is about people that makes them do this?

There is an epidemic of violent crime in this country and I don't feel safe.

-3 ( +5 / -9 )

WTF! poor kid, poor japanese T_T too much stress GANBATTEYO!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Maybe Japan needs to seriously consider introducing the school bus system. Japan is not as safe as it used to be.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Unprovoked attacks are not unique to Japan, anyone who views their own nationalaty as being incapable of inflicting random injury to a fellow citizen must be totaly out of touch with their countries media reporting. As with any other country this attack on an 11 year old boy is a shocking act of savagery

3 ( +4 / -1 )

i hate when they do these stories but never investigate or release a confirmed or possible motive. If your going to report scandalous incidents, at least do the research.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Mental problem, obviously. She should not be walking among the general population. Closed institution.

4 ( +4 / -1 )

Mental problems? How many others have mental problems but just don't do anything bad like this, as the legendary Japanese self discipline is capable to keep them within the barriers?

And what if, it is not mental problem, but she had a motive or reason? Was hurt by loud arrogant teenage boys in the past, knew the boy from one another incident, maybe for money, an amateurish cheap hitwoman? These might be stupid accusations but I just wouldn't sweep these cases under the carpet so easy, I think they worth an extended investigation. Not interrogation.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Most stabbings here are in the neck, just like wild cats do. That is why the boy lives.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

ReformedBasher: "That's right. It accounts for the fact there are never incidents of people going on a rampage in any other country but Japan."

Not as often as you hear about it happening here, that's for sure, and usually there are clear cut reasons (at least in the mind of the person who attacks others). When someone goes on a rampage in another country you don't usually hear, "He bumped into me and didn't say 'excuse me'", or, "I murdered my father because he was bothering me about my cell phone", or, "She said I shouldn't do my lipstick on the train platform so I pushed her in front of the train," or, "I just felt like killing someone". You hear about this kind of random attack very often (or, 'Toorima jiken'), but it's usually a man who does it. I'm just glad these sick people don't have access to guns!

Anyway, hope the boy recovers both physically and mentally, and both he and the woman, who clearly needs it, get help. Of course, she needs to do some time for what she's done as well, but it seems clear she's sick.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Hope the boy can recover physically and emotionally. Hope she gets treatment for her obvious sociopathic disorder. Being angry is just impossible with such a story at hand. Only shocked and sad.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

2012 The Year Women Attack!!!

@smithinjapan I'm not harping on you but why is it when a woman does something evil (people) automatically say "She needs help" She's bipolar. Especially when they attack children. When women attack men...I often hear: Yeah he probably had it coming to him.

Dude, women need to be locked away the same as men. A prostitute and her john both get caught together exchanging money. Why do they only arrest the john? What's up with that?

Lock this monster up. You want to say she's mental or possessed....fine....do the exorcism behind bars.

5 ( +5 / -1 )

"someone forgot her afternoon meds"

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I don't know, but crime is a crime, irregardless. it happens everywhere, in every country. thing is, in some countries, mental disorder or illness were not treated accordingly. some blame it on some spiritual interventions (possessed by some ghost or something) when the person might be schizo, or stressed out.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I dont think meds would necessarily have stopped her. I cant speak for other countries but American prisons are filled with "mentally ill" people. America really pumps the meds in people, yet the meds dont stop crimes. In fact, research has shown some of these psychiatric drugs CAUSE violence. Personally I think if someone is prone to violence, they will commit violence with or without drugs. If drugs were the solution, then society should say she is innocent because she wasnt on medication therefore she cant be held accountable for what she did, give her some drugs, and let her go free with the understanding that she has to take the meds. But not taking medication isnt the root of the problem. The root of the problem is she willingly premeditated and chose to attack a child rather than suppress her violent nature. This was her choice. Therefore, she needs to pay the penalty for her choice.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Is there an Institute of Mental Health Hospital in Japan? Because the crime section on JT is riddled with candidates for such a place.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

it's scary. these people are in the society and like everybody else, act normal, until something triggers

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What What What? Is that really all the info they have? There has to be something. does she have a history of mental illness or something?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@ smithinjapan "Not as often as you hear about it happening here, that's for sure, and usually there are clear cut reasons (at least in the mind of the person who attacks others). When someone goes on a rampage in another country you don't usually hear, "He bumped into me and didn't say 'excuse me'", or, "I murdered my father because he was bothering me about my cell phone", or, "She said I shouldn't do my lipstick on the train platform so I pushed her in front of the train," or, "I just felt like killing someone". You hear about this kind of random attack very often (or, 'Toorima jiken'), but it's usually a man who does it." I AGREE 100%

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Tamesu you have very interesting comments there and sadly maybe very true, some of these small things to normal people will just fly away but to a nut like this wacko down there in Osaka?? Poor 11 year old boy, hope he recovers both physically and spiritually.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

In Higashi-yodogawa-ku last month saw an out of the blue knife-in-the-back-attack of the newspaper woman. What also comes to mind is the randomly slashed elementary school girl out riding her bicycle (Yodogawa-ku, about a year ago). Never mind Japan, what's up with the area?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I was constantly subjected to being stabbed in the face for over 12 years....they were armed with umbrellas! UnfortunaI tely over the latter years the psychos started to carry knives instead.....and they are loose on the streets,not receiving any help,just being swept under the carpet until a strong wind comes along and they unleash hell.So many of these attacks could have been prevented if only they had someone to listen to them rather than being ignored and tossed aside like a defect of the society.....and now a poor kid has had to bear the brunt of this failure of japan.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

......and in reply to Utrack's post.......Yes there is a mental hospital in japan but they are fully booked!....all the ones that are on the reservation list live amongst the crowd....that is why i got out of it!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It does seem like this woman attacked the boy with no good reason. Other posters are correct about this selfishness and immaturity. The locals can flip out over the smallest prettiest thing unlike in my own country where violent crime is a last resort when people have been pushed too far, a la Charles Bronson in Death Wish.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Poor boy - I hope he recovers - but I really doubt he will ever recover from an attack so outrageous in it's violence and shock.

As for the disgusting individual who cowardly attacked a defenceless child - lock her up in a solitary dark and silent room in a straight-jacket for at least 40 years, where she can kill or attack any more kids. No one will miss her.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A neighbour told me today, how her teenage daughter's classmate has been punched and continually stalked, by a weird guy on the train she takes to school. Apparently, the police have said that they can't arrest him, as he has a mental illness ! Are they waiting for another stabbing before they act ?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@ sayonarajapan

and in reply to Utrack's post.......Yes there is a mental hospital in japan but they are fully booked!....all the ones that are on the reservation list live amongst the crowd....that is why i got out of it!!

Thanks for the info. It just Boggles the mind how the JGovt has a number of construction projects in the works but none have anything to do with the placement of the mentally ill. Like another 3 Mental Health Institutions would by nice so the mentally ill can be taken away from the society at large.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@ Alistair Carnell - that is awful, and potentially tragic for your neighbours' girl. That the police are powerless to act speaks volumes about the problems with the system here. It's not only a Japan thing either - you see mentally deranged people menacing others on the streets of Sydney, for example. Hope things turn out OK.

It would be really "regrettable" if this mentally unstable creep somehow ended up on the tracks before an oncoming train one night...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@smithinjapan

Not as often as you hear about it happening here, that's for sure

Is that the best you can do?

@ Christina O'Neill

Unprovoked attacks are not unique to Japan, anyone who views their own nationalaty as being incapable of inflicting random injury to a fellow citizen must be totaly out of touch with their countries media reporting. As with any other country this attack on an 11 year old boy is a shocking act of savagery

Spot on.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It'll come out that: this woman either lost her own baby and was suffering from postpartum depression, or that the boy was the son of a woman she knew and envied on some level.

That or she's freaking nuts.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Personally I think if someone is prone to violence, they will commit violence with or without drugs.

Absolutely true. But what about someone not prone to violence but who is mentally ill and incapable of following a rational thought process? With certain conditions drugs are ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. I speak from personal experience.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Not to be a straight up Japan basher, this happens way too regularly and it is a Japan specific thing. Yeah, it happens in other parts of the world too, but only in Japan does it happen with such alarming regularity.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"But what about someone not prone to violence but who is mentally ill and incapable of following a rational thought process?"

If someone cant follow a rational thought process which makes their behavior unpredictable, then they are potentially capable of violence which means drugs may dull their senses, but if they have the potential of violence in them, the potential is there whether they are medicated or not. I have known some severely mentally ill people and they seem to go through cycles where the medication mellows them out, then the severe side effects kick in which highly aggitate them so they become more unstable, and what often happens is because the side effects are driving them up the wall they stop the meds so a whole slew of other problems come out. But the point is whether on or off meds, those who are potentially violent will remain potentially violent unless some cure is found. Meds alone dont cure the violent potential. I would agree though that the severely mentally ill people need some sort of meds if they are going to live in society.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I left Osaka for many reasons, one main being: Osaka people have gotten worse & worse over the years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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