Woman stabbed to death in Tokyo's Kichijoji; one suspect in custody

I am from Romania and I live here from 12 years now,we are a small and nice community here in Japan,we have childrens and japanese husbands and friends who know about our country and about our disappointments when everybody points to Romania when something bad and wrong is happening. That boy is romanian,but he could also be peruvian,brazilian,iranian,german...or another nationality,even japanese.We don't applaud him because he put our country's image in a bad mirror(again) and for me personal,dead sentence is to easy for this type of criminals... Belive me that romanians from all over the world are in the same situation,even if we work hard and pay the same taxes like you,is enough for one to be crazy that everybody thinks we are all the same...well WE'RE NOT,and nothing in the world gives you the right to judge a whole country!!! P.S.: Sorry for my bad englesh,been to long in Japan.

I always strive to look at a story from different angles. Trying not to be quick to pass judgement. However, in this case, stabbing a woman in the back is indefensible. I don't see any reason to kill her if it was just a robbery.

Unless there's more to this story I'd like to see these goons punished to the full extent of the law.

Police said he ran when officers approached him

Note for Romanian robbers: you are more visble here than you are in Paris or London. You cannot just vanish in a crowd of people who may look like you. I hope he gets death since Japan decided to be tougher on minors.

News today mentions a Romanian suspect. And Honcho, Kichijoji is pretty a dense residential area. The drinking/red-light district is further west behind Yodobashi.

Tonights news reported that the 17 year old Romanian national who is a suspect in the case allegedly told police that just attacking someone is too noisy so it's just easier to stab them a couple of times and then take their cash.

This "boy" needs to rot in a cell for a few years.

first of all I am very sad for the poor girl and her family. Second I am sad for the reputation of Romanians and gajins in general. Romania get so much undeserved bad rep for all kind of stuff, this adds, it is sad. I spend a lot of time both in Romania and Japan, Bucharest is one of the safest cities in Europe when it comes to violent crime, credible stats are available everywhere.

Wow, brutality ! What's wrong with people these days ! If it was a robbery why didn't they just grab her bag and run ?? What was the reason for having to stab her so senselessly ?? Surely these two low life's could have avoided ending some poor young woman's life being that they are young men and probably twice her strength or more.

Hope they both rot in prison for the duration of their miserable lives. Even with one in custody and hopefully the other very shortly this will never bring closure for her family.

RIP

What kind of Visa did he have Japan Today ? Is he illegal, tourist or whatever ?

I would like to know more information. Very strange a foreigner would commit robbery in japan. Doesn't happen that often.

On the news they said the kid is Romanian.I'm watching right now. Many unclear things. The media speculates that this might be a murder made to look like robbery.

does the nationality of the kid makes any difference?

Guilty or not, I'm sure he will receive a fair and non-blinkered investigation by the Japanese police. lol....not.

Thinderbird2: Totally agree with you,but everybody must know to DON'T MIX ethnic groups, like gipsy,with romanian culture,is a very big mistake and I hope Japan is the last place on earth where gipsy people would think to start a new life,after Germay,Spain,U.K and anothers... Like I said,the guy who killed that girl could be from another nation, and i can't wait for the police to find the other one! I just can't stand the tought that in Japan,a country that I love more then my own,people to be afraid of me or avoid me just because i am romanian...

I do hope they catch the other guy. I was really surprised that the minor was Romanian...being a Romanian myself I wonder how he got here being 17 and I wonder how he got involved in this. I feel really sorry for the young woman and her family.

The "Romanian's" father is Japanese and they live in Kichijoji. If he has dual nationality, the press is ignoring that. His mate that got away is Japanese. The Japanese press took a bit of time to get that up on the board.

And let the speculaaaatiioooon...begin!! Im going to weigh in that the "foreigner" was of the obviously-not-Japanese genus which is why he was spotted so easily. Im also going to add that he may be incredibly stupid in hanging around close to where he n a mate attacked somebody....allegedly.

red light district, not in the sense of amsterdam, but there is a whole cluster of snack bars, love hotels, seedy joints and other yak hangouts a couple of streets back behind the Yodobashi - basically between the Yodobashi corner through to the Uniqlo exit of the JR station.

my God that poor woman. A life snuffed out - just like that. Awful. RIP lady. You died before you barely had chance to live.

Unless there's more to this story I'd like to see these goons punished to the full extent of the law.

Whether or not there's more to this story, I'd like to see these goons punished to the full extent of the law.

Why murder someone just to steal a bag?

So the victim can't identify the perpetrator(s)? Because it's easy and quick to get the bag? Because some people (including children) are vicious thugs with no regard for the lives of others?

Yes, the nationality of the offender DOES matter. It's called news reporting! If the perpetrator was found to be an American, I would expect it to be reported thoroughly. As an American, I want to see all of my countrymen who violate the laws of other nations weeded out and punished. They are bad examples and unwanted ambassadors.

Warnerbro, if his father is Japanese, since he is 17 years old he has dual citizenship. The "foreign male" is, in fact, Japanese... The story, at least at this stage, looks very strange: stab somebody for a purse? this guy is accomplice in a robbery, but several hors later, early in the morning, he wanders the streets nearby? the other guy (who he claims did the murder) disappeared? An update on this story would be highly welcome

Very sad story, but the way the Japanese media and netizens initially reacted to it as further evidence of a gaijin crime epidemic is also quite disturbing, and ironic now that it seems 1.5 of the two perpetrators were Japanese.

Does anyone know which conbini it was in Kichiyoji? Yes, the pink dori is pretty lame but one nice snack there.

crazedinjapan: Yes, it's a wonder that his or her posts are even allowed up. Click on his name and you'll see a myriad of anti-semetic, homophobic, racist screeds.

I am shocked. Stabbed on the back?? There's no excuse for that. RIP poor girl.

Something is strange here. What does a 17-year old Romanian do in Japan? It does take a lot of money, both to get here, but also to live here. So either he's here with a relatively well-off family by Romanian standards or either...? How did he get here? Did somebody bring him here. The fact that the foreigner is also mentioned directly but this other "mystery man" is not mentioned by nationality rings some bells. And this does not sound like some robbery. Why would anybody risk killing someone and face that punishment compared to the punishment for robbery? Doesn't add up. And stabbed two times? In the back? Come on...

Finally, whatever the case, it is very tragic that a young person had to die like this. Stabbings seem far to common in Japan.

Due to the kid's young age and his length of time in Japan, plus him having left home last December, I imagine one of his parents is Japanese even though his nationality is Romanian.

I didn't think in Tokyo someone needed to look behind the shoulder and expect to be stabbed by stranger. In L.A. or Chicago that's diffident story but in Tokyo I would fill safe given relatively lower crime rate in Japan.

Given how many random attacks we have in Shibuya these days, I wonder about that. How many times have we seen on TV an attack taking place because someone looked at someone the wrong way.

Wait, wait, where does it say that in this article?

It wasn't mentioned in the article, but it was mentioned on the news last night.

Just watching the news now - so they stab this girl 3 times in the back, steal her cash card and can't get cash out cos they don't know the PIN. How daft can you get?

The "Romanian" actually graduated from junior high and dropped out of high school here - sounds like he grew up here.

Sad sad event - I used to live in Kichijoji and it was great.

This is tragic. I hope the Romanian guy is not at fault. VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: ROMANIANS ARE NOT GYPSIES. Of course there are gypsies in Romanian as they are in many other countries, but there is a huge difference. Their name should be changed so the people won't ever misthink that Romanians are gypsies. I had enough of this. So sorry for that girl!

wait, he ran away when the officers approached him, but managed to say that his companion stabbed the woman? either the police are off their rocker or JT has misquoted them.

News today mentions a Romanian suspect. And Honcho, Kichijoji is pretty a dense residential area. The drinking/red-light district is further west behind Yodobashi...

He was detained after fleeing.

So, they have detained a foreigner who states his companion was the one that did the stabbing and robbing. No mention of the companion's nationality. Spill the beans mate and you might get some reprieve.

Gaijin or not I hope they get jail for a very long time!!! If the police did not know his nationality, how come they can say he is a minor???

I didn't think in Tokyo someone needed to look behind the shoulder and expect to be stabbed by stranger. In L.A. or Chicago that's diffident story but in Tokyo I would fill safe given relatively lower crime rate in Japan. I Hope that back stabber will pay ultimate price for his crime.

Look forward to the day when machines can just read our minds and police can get justice quickly and accurately.

does the nationality of the kid makes any difference?

In the bigger picture probably not, but I hope you aren't so naive to think that no matter what country you are in it would have been reported in the same manner if the person was not of the same nationality as the country where the crime took place.

The poor girl was probably stabbed in the back because she tried to flee. May she rest in peace!

There are Roma's all over the world ,they are GYPSY people living on the dole & by their wits All Over Europe. hadn't thought about them in Japan-The lowest P.O.S. would take a knife to someones back !-Prison(life) for him & Deportation of his family would be about right.

Hang him high! That he's only 17 shouldn't matter. The earth could do well with a little less low-lifes on it.

He's mother is married with a japanese,so is his step father...

He's mother,sorry*

Why didn't any of the media report on the boy's visa status? What is a 17-yr-old Romanian boy doing in Japan, anyway? Funny that no one in the media is asking or answering that question.

A girl is dead. But I wonder was it a random attack or did they know each other? 'What is a 17-year-old Romanian boy doing in Japan?' Well, he might be studying here, or one of his parents may be Japanese, or he might be on vacation, or his father is a diplomat. What does that matter? He made a bad choice and will have to take responsibility for it. But he won't be leaving Japan for quite a while.....

@ timeon, I think exactly like you! There is something weird in this whole story, some missing pieces. However, I find it quite hard to believe that the reason for killing her was robbery

Yah the whole story stinks. Dual citizenship is only available if you apply for it - otherwise you are "foreign", even under 20yrs old. According to the TV news, they interviewed the mother of the perp, and she sounded east European for sure.

But if you stab some chick in the back and knick their bag, I wouldn't be hanging round for the cops to pick you up an hour later...seems daft and lame overall. Naive, 17-yrs old, going to spend a good part of his life in the clink - was it worth another person's life? Rot in hell.

Romanian 17 years old isn't guilty wrong time wrong place ,so nice kid ...so sorry for Yamada's family R.I.P. ,...the kid's mother know better, bad mother to invite him in Japan and be so indifferent with her own child is very painful,expelled him from the house, live without family is very painful ,...why invited him in Japan?why?

Was he maybe a Roma people, also known as gypsy? Why pick on an innocent woman? I do not condone any crime but the convenience store is more anonymous victim as long as the clerk does not put up a fight. Well, rewind the cameras. They have plenty around there. Rest in peace and may her relatives and friends find comfort while grieving he loss.

How and why was this kid here? You need cash to get here so I'm thinking he's not some street Roma who makes a living begging and robbing. Cue the old "where are the parents?" Comment from me.

@Chupy, I can see why you feel your country is being demonised, but it's always the case that once a country has a reputation for something, brought about by a few high profile bad apples, it sticks. In this case Romania has an image of being scroungers and thieves, rightly or wrongly that's the what people think. This case will only harden the opinions of people who already think that.

They HAVE to catch the other man, and then deliver the full weight of the law down on their effed-up heads. Why murder someone just to steal a bag? Seriously, Japanese people need to form neighbourhood watch patrols... preferably armed with pepper sprays and fully charged mobiles with 110 on speed dial.

A sad story i hope they punish both of the criminals..they were equally guilty as either one of them could have stopped the other. Terrible event.

Def more to this than is being released. If he didn't kill her, who did and why is that petson's ethnicity not being mentioned?

Maybe Tokyo is becoming more like any other major cities in the world. With the integration of people from international community, you get the good with the bad. You have alot of young people from foreign countries who wants to visit, stay and work in Tokyo. Until recently, Tokyo was considered one of the safest big cities in the world. However, things are changing drastically, especially with the economic downturn, the crimes are increasing. Thre are alot of desperate people (Japanese and foreigners) out there who don't care if they hurt somebody. These women have to be aware of the surroundings and should not be walking alone late at night, especially after midnight.

LiveInTokyo:

...his length of time in Japan, plus him having left home last December...

Wait, wait, where does it say that in this article?

Well said Chupy and especially love this line:

P.S.: Sorry for my bad englesh,been to long in Japan.

Im sure you didnt mean it to sound how it did but it gave me a good laugh!

Apparently Romanian. there is a red light district in Kichijoji? I didn't knew.