Knifeman rampage in Tokyo

[Kaikitsune Makoto 203]

I suppose this news has been broadcasted in most forum members' countries' media by now. A rare incident of a 25 year old wacko driving from Shizuoka to Akihabara using rental car and then hitting some pedestrians before stepping out of the car yelling and smiling and stabbing people indiscriminantly, including a traffic policeman on patrol. 7 dead and 11 injured according to latest reports. Long knife too with 18cm blade survivor knife. Police chased cornered him and apprehended him. He wore glasses, had beige jacket and troubled mind. He said he was sick of life and society and came to Akihabara to kill people. He lives alone.

The attacker after getting caught:

Japan is a safe country statistically and empirically and such incidents are very rare of course as they are even in more violent countries. There was that kindergarten massmurder some years ago and the attacker has since been executed.

[Harry 67]

Yes, AP article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080608/ap_on_.../japan_stabbing

[Jonosuke 28]

Not sure how long this will stay but here's a clib of Fuji TV news on YouTube.

As you can see this is the biggest intersection in Akiba and the one a lot of people walk across so it isn't some way out of Akiba, right in the middle. It's the one if you start off late, you may get stuck in the middle of the intersection and you need to dash the last 10 meters or so.

You may happen to walk at the wrong time and wrong place, may get killed. I feel so much for their families as well.

[sekihiryu 51]

http://www.news24.jp/111217.html

rumour has it he had Yakuza links.

Sadly not so "rare" anymore, the lack of accessible handguns and firearms in Japan means these disturbed types are quite frequently resorting to knives...Mamoru Takuma at the Osaka primary school, the guys who stabbed a baby in the head in the Ito Yokado store, the old man who stabbbed his rival in the supermarket, just last week a guy stabbed his landlord over some stary cats he was feeding. There are 3 just off the top of my head, I hate to say there are many many more.

[Fujisan 530]

Sad,really sad (I am not worthy...)

No country,no city,no town,nowhere is safe anymore....

Tired of life,so he goes and kills 7 others? I know I'm against suicide but I might consider you an exception,if you get any other bright ideas mate.(Might!)

[Fay 1,677]

Ironically it seems the death penalty is an incentive to murder for these people. They should get life in jail under torture.

Don't want to start a political debate but, they should get what????????? Torture is as well an act of injustice as killing people. Aren't people always calling and fighting for governments without torture, Abu Ghraibs .........?

[Doyobi 0]

Or, if he's loosing his screws, help him before he goes berserk. Really, prevention is the only solution. But I doubt that roasting him alive now will stop deranged people from anything.

[Harry 67]

This guy blogged about it beforehand but the police said they couldn't do anything about it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080609/wl_nm/japan_stabbing_dc

[sekihiryu 51]

torture as deterrent? hmmm reminds of the Princess Bride and "to the pain". Nasty but it would be a worse punishment that the easir way out: The DP.

. To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.

Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue I suppose, I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don't mean to duplicate tonight.

Westley: I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.

Prince Humperdinck: And then my ears, I understand let's get on with it.

Westley: WRONG. Your ears you keep and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, "Dear God! What is that thing," will echo in your perfect ears. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.

[Kaikitsune Makoto 203]

Most would be ready to tear a killer to pieces if they killed a loved one. Society's role is to prevent that. Human being is very much revenge oriented. Wars are full of revenges regardless of religion.

Death penalty doesn't serve as a threat. Allowing torture in some form would be very dangerous road. Officially disintergrating humanity . Then again part of "humanity" as in human nature is to enjoy others' suffering, if they are "enemies". Still only a handful of people could actually find it appropriate to imagine anyone being tortured day after day. Most of us would not want to see animals getting slaughtered in front of our eyes but still eat meat with pleasure so a conviction "Blind him and kick him in the head once every ten minutes for 20 hours a day and other times chain him in unnatural positions until he goes mad and dies on his own" might make one sick but could be forgotten if the conviction would be hidden in some jail as it probably would. Works maybe but really, is this an option?

People with mental illness can explode regardless of any right or wrong understanding. Temporary insanity is a common plea but it also has truth in it in some ways as often at the time of that insanity, no norms or threats etc. have significance. If you start killing mentally ill people (like psychotic persons, the more than temporary insane people), it is just eradicating the weed so the speak. Societies where human weed is eradicated are not known for their justice or fairness.

[Jakusotsu 5,806]

Great post, KM! Agreeable on every part.

Problem is: no two people are alike, and every case is unique. Yet justice has only one option: to treat everyone on equal terms. Punishment of a single person with the primary goal to deter others seems wrong. Solution? I guess there is none...

[Jakusotsu 5,806]

I tried hard to come up with answers, but couldn't find any. There's only more questions. Recently they arrested a man who deliberately dropped a log of wood from a bridge over the autobahn, killing a woman sitting in the passenger seat right in front of her two small children. How do you deal with him?

[That-Satsu-Guy 1]

I hate to say there are many many more.

Guy in Ibaraki who taunted police about the knife attack he was going to commit a few weeks ago and killed a few at the station with them watching out for him.

Shotgun murders in Sasebo a couple of months ago where the guy shot two or three in a gym.

Guy going home late from the office in Okayama who got pushed under an oncoming train.

As with the case yesterday the attackers told police they were "tired" and wanted to be arrested or executed. Usually you need to kill two people here before you get the death penalty.

Japan seems to have in common with the US mass murders where ordinary people snap and go on a rampage. The difference here is that the victims usually have no connection to the attackers.

Cowardice of the highest degree. Don't have the guts to kill themselves so take the lives of kids and young parents so the state will do the job for them.

Ironically it seems the death penalty is an incentive to murder for these people. They should get life in jail under torture.

I was right next to Suidobashi station at the time. That's just two stations away...

Anyway, Akihabara is still one of the safest places in Tokyo if not the safest.

I'm going to pick up some printer ink there tomorrow. My wife made me promise I wouldn't, I just laughed and said, "sure." (Sign of approval...)

[Jakusotsu 5,806]

Anyway, Akihabara is still one of the safest places in Tokyo if not the safest.

You might want to change Your avatar pic before I take Your word for granted. (Sign of approval...)

[Randomitsuki 2,768]

There is also of course the unspoken arguement that it's cheaper to just get rid of some unredeemable people who will commit the same crimes again if released, than it is to house and feed them for several decades.

I have heard pretty often that it is cheaper to house and feed people for several decades than to kill them because in the latter case there are more (costly) legal hurdles to be overcome.

In Germany the "lifelong" sentence is actually 25 years maximum. However, there are forms of "imprisonment" that can be lifelong (particularly in the case of delinquents with a zero chance of rehabilitation). I just found out that in New Zealand a similar sentence can be handed out.

Edited June 10, 2008 by Randomitsuki

[That-Satsu-Guy 1]

Anyway, Akihabara is still one of the safest places in Tokyo if not the safest.

You might want to change Your avatar pic before I take Your word for granted. (Sign of approval...)

Don't take my love for Akiba for granted!

[Mark Buckton 1]

Anyway, Akihabara is still one of the safest places in Tokyo if not the safest.

based on what exactly.............. (In a state of confusion...)

There are plenty of oddballs / pickpockets in Akiba and street fights are not unknown. Some shady characters running a few of those smaller shops too. Thought you lived out in deepest, darkest Chiba anyhow? :-P (In a state of confusion...)

Edited June 10, 2008 by Mark Buckton

[That-Satsu-Guy 1]

Anyway, Akihabara is still one of the safest places in Tokyo if not the safest.

based on what exactly.............. (In a state of confusion...)

There are plenty of oddballs / pickpockets in Akiba and street fights are not unknown. Some shady characters running a few of those smaller shops too. Thought you lived out in deepest, darkest Chiba anyhow? :-P (In a state of confusion...)

Based on the statistics from the police. Oh, and I worked there once a week for two years.

How much violent crime goes on in Akiba?

I thought you were the expert on everything. Ever heard of a bedroom town? I live in Abiko which is in Chiba but I work in Chiyoda-ku which is in Tokyo. From Suidobashi I take the Sobu line to Akihabara, change to the Keihintohoku or Yamanote lines and make one last change at Ueno for the Joban line. I can sometimes get a seat if I'm lucky.

I used to live in Nerima-ku, but my immediate family forced me to move to Chiba to be closer to other family members.

Anymore questions?

Edited June 14, 2008 by That-Satsu-Guy

[Mark Buckton 1]

Anyway, Akihabara is still one of the safest places in Tokyo if not the safest.

based on what exactly.............. (In a state of confusion...)

There are plenty of oddballs / pickpockets in Akiba and street fights are not unknown. Some shady characters running a few of those smaller shops too. Thought you lived out in deepest, darkest Chiba anyhow? :-P (In a state of confusion...)

Based on the statistics from the police.

Anymore questions?

just one - can you link to those police stats please - would be interesting to see if true.

Abiko is nice, you are lucky.

[Gusoyama 95]

How long does it take the death sentence to be fulfilled in Japan? In the US, it is a rather high number, like 10 years or so.

[Jonosuke 28]

How long does it take the death sentence to be fulfilled in Japan? In the US, it is a rather high number, like 10 years or so.

This is pretty difficult question because they never announced the date it took place. I believe only immediate family (if they so wished) knew it so they could take necessary arrangements for funeral. I think they changed it a bit now but even now they would not announce it until the execution took place.

Some of Aum Shinrikyo guys who perpetrated so-called Sarin at Subway murders were sentenced to death several years ago but I have not heard they were executed yet so at least it will take several years.

As for Akiba, I will ask how the crime situation there is these days as my cousin is a ward member for Chiyoda-ward, I think he chairs the education committee there. But you know there are so few people actually live there that the last time he got elected, he only got something like 2500 votes. His brother has a store that sells anime material of dubious nature to the otaku guys that you probably can only get in Japan and likely only in Akihabara. If you are interested, send me a private message, I give you the shop name. If you mention me, you might get a discount though I doubt it.

[Fujisan 530]

I don't agree with that. Prevention is obviously an important part of the solution, but it's only one part. Getting prents to kick those shut-ins out of the house would be a start. Creating an education system that allows children playtime and creative learning would also help.

Its time to stop practising the child rearing techniques of Dr Spock who later admitted he got it wrong when he saw what lack of proper discipline in the home had done to the country he lived in.

Dont spare the rod in school or at home......

[Sasanishiki 57]

OK, for the non-Japanese reading members out there, the key at the bottom right hand corner reads from the top:

Theft (yellow)

Violent crime (pink)

Intellectual crime (pale blue/white)

Vice crime/prostitution (another pink)

Henous crime (green)

Other (salmon/orange)

Now, I don't know anything about the delineations between these different types of crime. what, for example, is the distinguishing feature between violent crime and heinous crime? Is it, as I suspect, loss of life (meaning heinous involves murder, while violent is assault and rape)? What counts as intellectual crime in this case? Are they really talking about hacking and copyright infringment or is it more the idea of scamming and confidence tricksters?

[Doitsuyama 1,173]

Now, I don't know anything about the delineations between these different types of crime. what, for example, is the distinguishing feature between violent crime and heinous crime? Is it, as I suspect, loss of life (meaning heinous involves murder, while violent is assault and rape)? What counts as intellectual crime in this case? Are they really talking about hacking and copyright infringment or is it more the idea of scamming and confidence tricksters?

Forget about the delineations - what I am really missing are absolute numbers. Sure, Akihabara has more thefts and less of the other types. But only in relative numbers, absolute numbers of violent crimes might well be much higher than in the other wards - impossible to see from this "stat chart".

[That-Satsu-Guy 1]

Now, I don't know anything about the delineations between these different types of crime. what, for example, is the distinguishing feature between violent crime and heinous crime? Is it, as I suspect, loss of life (meaning heinous involves murder, while violent is assault and rape)? What counts as intellectual crime in this case? Are they really talking about hacking and copyright infringment or is it more the idea of scamming and confidence tricksters?

Forget about the delineations - what I am really missing are absolute numbers. Sure, Akihabara has more thefts and less of the other types. But only in relative numbers, absolute numbers of violent crimes might well be much higher than in the other wards - impossible to see from this "stat chart".

That pie chart is from the Manseibashi police box in Akihabara.

http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/1/manseibashi/index.htm

I looked and couldn't find any numbers, but one should take into account the lack of night life in the Chiyoda ward. Not many shot bars or sex workers compared to other towns. But some gambling.

Compare that with Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shibuya, and Roppongi.

On my train line, I bet Adachi-ku and even Matsudo are more dangerous than Chiyoda.

Oh, and Chiyoda-ku has very few actual residents. Not many people there after dark, just empty offices.

Edited June 11, 2008 by That-Satsu-Guy