Akihabara Stabbing

[Dante]

A man armed with a knife has killed seven people and injured 10 others in central Tokyo, Japanese media say.

The incident occurred in the Akihabara district, a busy shopping area known as Electric Town that is popular with young people and tourists.

A suspect, said to be 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato, has been arrested.

Police spokesman Jiro Akaogi told reporters: "The suspect said he came to Akihabara to kill people. He said he was tired of life".

The dead include six men, ranging in age from 19 to 74, and a 21-year-old woman, Kyodo News said.

Reports say the suspect drove a rented truck into a crowd in the early afternoon and then began stabbing people at random.

James Slaymaker, a British man working in Japan, got to the area shortly after the stabbings. He described the scene to BBC News:

"As I walked down the street, I noticed there were a lot of police cars. I noticed there was a guy literally just lying there with tape on his eyes and blood pouring out of the side of him. I was appalled.

"I could see carnage - bodies everywhere. Some were conscious, some were not, lying by the side of the road and on the road. There were people everywhere, a lot of onlookers."

Another eyewitness told Kyodo News: ''The man jumped on top of a man he had hit with his vehicle and stabbed him with a knife many times. Walking toward Akihabara station, he slashed nearby people at random.''

Crime increase

The Akihabara district specialises in electronic gadgets and video games and is especially popular with people interested in comic books and distinctive fashion.

It is also home to one of the first shops to sell personal robots and robotics. The area is often crowded on weekends.

Once rare in Japan, there has been an increase in knife crime in recent years.

In January, a 16-year-old school boy armed with two kitchen knives injured several people on a crowded shopping street in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward.

The Akihabara attack occurred on the same date that a man with a history of mental illness went through a primary school in 2001, stabbing children at random.

Eight children died and 15 pupils and teachers were injured in that attack, in a school in Ikeda, in the city of Osaka.

But about a week and a half ago, a thread was posted on 2ch Game Hardware board (http://namidame.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ghard/1211823579/) under the title "[News] In Akihabara, an Xbot ninja will be involved in a tragic slashing spree", with the text "Soon after 6/5, this is guaranteed to happen, so I thought I'd post the thread ahead of time."

qKNWqzWkyVo

[Dog-amoto]

That's crazy.

If it were in Europe or America, I bet it would be blamed on GTA4, especially as you can drive a truck into a bunch of pedestrians and stab people.

[Shorty]

Oh damn. I read about this yesterday but hadn't heard about the 2ch posting "predicting" the event. That's twisted.

[Dante]

The man suspected of killing seven people in a knifing rampage in Tokyo foretold the mayhem in a series of messages posted to the Internet, including one just before the attack saying, "It's time," police and media reports said Monday.

Tomohiro Kato, accused of ramming pedestrians with a truck on Sunday and then stabbing 17 bystanders in Tokyo's Akihabara district, posted a string of messages on an Internet bulletin board from his cell phone, a police spokesman said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing protocol, refused to release the messages, but news reports said they were posted in a threat titled, "I will kill people in Akihabara," starting hours before the stabbings.

"I want to crash the vehicle and, if it becomes useless, I will then use a knife. Goodbye, everyone," Kyodo News agency quoted one message as saying.

That was followed chillingly several hours later, the report said, by a message sent from Akihabara via phone that read: "It's time."

The killing started 20 minutes later.

http://i25.tinypic.com/308figx.jpg
Newpaper has the words "Evil Deeds of the Akiba Nerds" "`Nice Guys', "Pedos", "Speed Freaks""

[Jimbob]

Completly crazy this, if in Europe or America GTA IV would be blamed. But as it is in Japan, what will get the blame if anything is blamed.

[The fish]

Completly crazy this, if in Europe or America GTA IV would be blamed. But as it is in Japan, what will get the blame if anything is blamed.

Maybe someone will realise he was just bat-fuck crazy.

[Stefkov]

Looking around you can find pictures of the where it took place and stuff. Blood on the streets. A cop taking the guy down who did all this aswell.
And that thing about the thread was only about Ninja Gaiden according to Kotaku.

[Dyson]

http://bp0.blogger.com/_21wY6fCgMRw/Ruc9WYkGucI/AAAAAAAAACY/8SErHNTRav4/s320/175px-Otacon.jpg

This is just like one of my Japanese Animes!

[Olympic Gamer]

Heads up guys

Apparently video gaming has already been linked. Apparently he had a blog and originally aimed for this event to happen on the 5th, which was the launch date of Ninja Gaiden too, which would of been full of gamers. Also he apparently had numerous self drawn sketches of characters from the Tales series, so apparently the media there are picking up on the video game links.

[bluey]

...*ahem*.....

OH MY GOD I HOPE BLUEY'S OK DOESNT SHE LIVE CLOSE TO THAT AREA??!

you know... i wouldnt have heard of this unless one of my friends IN ENGLAND feigned concern for my wellbeing over msn... i've seen/heard nothing on the news/in the paper/from students here... (granted i'm not actually allowed to bring it up during lessons in case i offend anybody by talking about death >___>)

this place is weird... i can merrily wander around my local park at midnight safe in the knowledge that i'm VERY unlikely to be mugged or raped ...or mugged and raped.... yet i'm slightly on-edge when i'm in a large crowd in very touristy places... only then am i worried about pickpocketing foreigners or weirdo pakistani factory workers asking for my number... or my underwear. :nono:

[Olympic Gamer]

...*ahem*.....

OH MY GOD I HOPE BLUEY'S OK DOESNT SHE LIVE CLOSE TO THAT AREA??!

you know... i wouldnt have heard of this unless one of my friends IN ENGLAND feigned concern for my wellbeing over msn... i've seen/heard nothing on the news/in the paper/from students here... (granted i'm not actually allowed to bring it up during lessons in case i offend anybody by talking about death >___>)

this place is weird... i can merrily wander around my local park at midnight safe in the knowledge that i'm VERY unlikely to be mugged or raped ...or mugged and raped.... yet i'm slightly on-edge when i'm in a large crowd in very touristy places... only then am i worried about pickpocketing foreigners or weirdo pakistani factory workers asking for my number... or my underwear. :nono:

But surely if the members here believe no unfortunate incidents happend to yourself, they must have faith and confidence in your survival abilities, hence no worrying was required :smile: Just my theory though

[bluey]

Heads up guys

Apparently video gaming has already been linked. Apparently he had a blog and originally aimed for this event to happen on the 5th, which was the launch date of Ninja Gaiden too, which would of been full of gamers. Also he apparently had numerous self drawn sketches of characters from the Tales series, so apparently the media there are picking up on the video game links.

also! of course they are - video games are the source of all live's troubles...
i've run out of parmesan cheese - if that isnt directly linked to the release of ninja gaiden i'm not sure WHAT is!! O__O! DAMN YOU, NINJAS!!!

...also... the japanese media especially loves to pretend that all of lifes problems can be linked to some prominent and easy to define subculture ~ makes it easier to explain, and therefor sweep neatly under the rug. it's especially easy to blame otaku for unusual crimes (since the otaku serial killer a few years ago...) ... (look it up - i dont wanna explain it >_<) so they'll just jump at the chance, ne.
"the nail that sticks out shall be hammered down" and all that.

But surely if the members here believe no unfortunate incidents happend to yourself, they must have faith and confidence in your survival abilities, hence no worrying was required :smile: Just my theory though

...not sure there's much ability involved in avoiding being randomly stabbed while shopping ^___^ but thanks for taking the trouble to GLOSS OVER the fact that EVERYONE FORGOT MEEEEE *runs away and cries!*

[Olympic Gamer]

I originally thought it'd be a Hikkomori case to be honest, those are the most mentally unstable demographic of Japan, but it seems this guy was frequently out and working etc, not sure what exactly happend to trigger him being 'tired of life' which he said to the police.

[martinist]

Maybe he just felt like it. If i could read japanese i'd be looking through 2ch to try and see why he did it, but it could just turn out that hes just a selfish dick and felt like killing people.

[Stefkov]

http://www.dannychoo.com/fauna/userimg/large/2008Jun09080423_3691.jpg
These people were doing what you see whilst the reporter was reporting on the killings. People like that are idiots.
Several Doujin mags were found in Kato's apartment (yesterdays killer) and apparently he said that he only had interest in "anime and the 2D world" and also that he enjoyed singing anime songs - video clip at fnn.
The media and everybody else in high places (government etc) is going to come down on anime and otaku culture like a ton of bricks. I can see this leading people to think that we who enjoy anime are a dangerous bunch of people.
They've always wanted to put restrictions on anime/doujin and it looks like they now have the perfect excuse.
Indeed.
He was a pretty good drawer though.
http://www.dannychoo.com/fauna/userimg/large/2008Jun09080751_3692.jpg
Waow. Just looking at some past reports like this in Japan and the general thing from them all is that they all wanted to experience killing. They all said 'anyone would do'....

[LazyBoy]

This might sound unsympathetic, so I apologise if it does, but does it surprise anyone else that this guy killed 17 before someone was able to stop him? I mean he was an anime fan, you could probably blow the guy over.

[The fish]

This might sound unsympathetic, so I apologise if it does, but does it surprise anyone else that this guy killed 17 before someone was able to stop him? I mean he was an anime fan, you could probably blow the guy over.

It did strike me as odd that people neither tackled him nor ran. It was only 7 people he killed, by the way, but all the same...

[bluey]

I originally thought it'd be a Hikkomori case to be honest, those are the most mentally unstable demographic of Japan, but it seems this guy was frequently out and working etc, not sure what exactly happend to trigger him being 'tired of life' which he said to the police.

i'da thought the salary men would be the most manically depressed bunch around here ~ work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, continuously wake bluey up with your sliding door at 3-a-fucking-m, work, eat, sleep and so on...

..but ny next door neighbor seems like a pretty happy chap... i dont get the "mr. stabby" vibe from him, anyway... ^__^

i realise the guy was a nutcase, right... but i have difficulty understanding why people who are TIRED OF LIFE chose to kill *other people* and not themselves...

[Olympic Gamer]

http://www.dannychoo.com/fauna/userimg/large/2008Jun09080423_3691.jpg

I lol'd so hard, the legends of Akihabara every one! The dude on the bottom emulates my London Expo pose

[The fish]

I lol'd so hard, the legends of Akihabara every one! The dude on the bottom emulates my London Expo pose

The dude on the bottom looks uncannily like (I think) Hellfire. :blank:

[Dog-amoto]

Completly crazy this, if in Europe or America GTA IV would be blamed. But as it is in Japan, what will get the blame if anything is blamed.

I'm sure there's an echo in here...

[Indigo]

You guys shouldn't dismiss particular aspects of the videogame/animé sub-culture as automatically having no influence over people's actions. Obviously there isn't a direct causal link, but when a terrible crime such as this occurs the logical thing to do is to examine the man's lifestyle and wonder how he could have ended up with such a twisted perception of the world. From the sound of things, videogames and animé encompassed this guy's lifestyle, and so it's hardly unjustified to examine the culture of those things. We shouldn't say 'some people are just insane' and leave it at that - that would be naive.

At the least I think regular exposure to very violent media (be it films, videogames, animé or whatever) does desensitise people to actual physical violence. That's quite plain.

[Tellyn]

It's a terrible thing to have happened, but why are the media automatically jumping on videogames? They'd laugh if it was suggested that it might have been influenced by a book or a film.

http://www.dannychoo.com/fauna/userimg/large/2008Jun09080423_3691.jpg

Reminds me of the Japanese guy in Gremlins 2 who wanted to take pictures of the Gremlins attack when they were in the cooking show. :heh:

[Emerald Emblem]

This is really a serious event. He could have killed and injured a lot more if the police weren't as quick as they were.

Also, though I may not know you Bluey, I'm glad you weren't involved or worse.

[Emasher]

This is awful. And if Jack Thompson does so much as a single interview, Its going to take all my will power to not buy a ticket to Miami and... well you get the idea.

[Olympic Gamer]

This is awful. And if Jack Thompson does so much as a single interview, Its going to take all my will power to not buy a ticket to Miami and... well you get the idea.

Every post I read of yours is about Jack Thompson. Your not funny. Shut up.

[Dyson]

I love Olympic Gamer

[Emasher]

I'm not trying to be. I seriously hate the guy. And if you think every post I make is about him you must not be reading many of my posts.

[navarre]

It's a shame, really.

[Roostophe]

Several Doujin mags were found in Kato's apartment (yesterdays killer) and apparently he said that he only had interest in "anime and the 2D world" and also that he enjoyed singing anime songs - video clip at fnn.
The media and everybody else in high places (government etc) is going to come down on anime and otaku culture like a ton of bricks. I can see this leading people to think that we who enjoy anime are a dangerous bunch of people.
They've always wanted to put restrictions on anime/doujin and it looks like they now have the perfect excuse.

Indeed.
He was a pretty good drawer though.
http://www.dannychoo.com/fauna/userimg/large/2008Jun09080751_3692.jpg
Waow. Just looking at some past reports like this in Japan and the general thing from them all is that they all wanted to experience killing. They all said 'anyone would do'....

I read this in the paper and I thought "What sort of animes did this nutter watch?" I'd put a bet that one of them was Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan.

I bet this bloke is rather partial of some Guro Hentai...

[Stefkov]

This is awful. And if Jack Thompson does so much as a single interview, Its going to take all my will power to not buy a ticket to Miami and... well you get the idea.
Why would Jack Thompson really care what's happening in Japan? He likes anime, doujinshi, 2D shit. What has games got to do with this subject?
Apart from Ninja Gaiden which was a coincidence anyway.

[bluey]

I read this in the paper and I thought "What sort of animes did this nutter watch?" I'd put a bet that one of them was Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan.

I bet this bloke is rather partial of some Guro Hentai...
pipirupirupirupipipiru-pi!!

......huh.....?

[Roostophe]

pipirupirupirupipipiru-pi!!

......huh.....?

:blank: :wtf: :wtf: :blank:

You've only been in Japan for three months, you're already as nutty as them.

[Emerald Emblem]

:blank: :wtf: :wtf: :blank:

You've only been in Japan for three months, you're already as nutty as them.
Thats the opening song for the anime Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan

[Roostophe]

Thats the opening song for the anime Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan

I wouldn't have known, because I haven't seen it. I do know about it, though, obviously.

[Emerald Emblem]

Well I'm just informing you, so now you know.

[Hellfire]

The dude on the bottom looks uncannily like (I think) Hellfire. :blank:

XD
He doesn't, but I see where you're coming from.

[Ramar]

Why didn't the police shoot him? Deserved it the evil bastard.

[Emasher]

Why would Jack Thompson really care what's happening in Japan? He likes anime, doujinshi, 2D shit. What has games got to do with this subject?
Apart from Ninja Gaiden which was a coincidence anyway.

What do school shootings have to do with counter strike?

This is Jack Thompson, if violence and video games are in any way relating to each other, even if just by coincidence, he's all over it. He's probably "investigating" right now as to weather this kid has ever played video games in his life in preparation for an inevitable interview.

Why didn't the police shoot him? Deserved it the evil bastard.

I agree, people like that will never become productive members of society. What's the point in keeping them alive.

[Dante]

What do school shootings have to do with counter strike?

This is Jack Thompson, if violence and video games are in any way relating to each other, even if just by coincidence, he's all over it. He's probably "investigating" right now as to weather this kid has ever played video games in his life in preparation for an inevitable interview.



I agree, people like that will never become productive members of society. What's the point in keeping them alive.

Stop talking about Jack Thompson.

He might lost his rights to law soon anyway.

[LazyBoy]

Do the police in Japan carry sidearms? As I understand it Japan is a very anti-gun society. Bluey?

[Stefkov]

What do school shootings have to do with counter strike?

This is Jack Thompson, if violence and video games are in any way relating to each other, even if just by coincidence, he's all over it. He's probably "investigating" right now as to weather this kid has ever played video games in his life in preparation for an inevitable interview.
Shooting, firing a weapin, happens in both situations. That proves nothing, I don't see your point in that. We all know why Thompson does what he does.
So I reiterate. Why would Jack Thompson care about Japan considering this story has more relation to anime and that category than games? Bringing up Thompson in this situation is irrelevant.
PS: it's whether not weather.

[Emasher]

Sorry about the spelling.

But if you actually watch some of his interviews (not all of them). He will use things like this, not at all related to games, and try and twist them around to make it sound like games are evil. If this guy did actually play games he will use it in an interview at some point.

Also about the counter strike thing, just because you fire a weapon doesn't mean its going to train you to shoot up your school. Yes they do have a few things in common, but not as many as Mr. Thompson would have you believe.

[Tyson]

Sorry about the spelling.

But if you actually watch some of his interviews (not all of them). He will use things like this, not at all related to games, and try and twist them around to make it sound like games are evil. If this guy did actually play games he will use it in an interview at some point.

Also about the counter strike thing, just because you fire a weapon doesn't mean its going to train you to shoot up your school. Yes they do have a few things in common, but not as many as Mr. Thompson would have you believe.

I suggest not Youtubing his interviews. It's worked for me all my life.

[bluey]

Do the police in Japan carry sidearms? As I understand it Japan is a very anti-gun society. Bluey?

dont think so... saying that i havent reeeeally been close enough to hug one of them yet so i havent checked for hidden weapons...
the police here are everywhere though ~ they have police boxes (like, little mini offices, not TARDIS style - thatd just be TOO cool...) dotted around towns so people can come report lost property or ask for directions etc... the police are kinda 'advertised' as friendly approachable and helpful ~ so i doubt they'd carry firearms ... i'll have a good look when i pass the police box in town though :grin:

[KingJoe]

None of the news coverage in Japan seems to be blaming video games. Apparently the guy was 'tired of life'.

As bad as this is (and it is horrible), Japan is a mazingly safe with a tiny, tiny crime rate (unless you are an umbrella or a bicycle, in which case you are fucked). There are total nutjobs everywhere, and there probably always will be. Tokyo is the safest-feeling city I have been in

I also live in Japan, and was in Tokyo on Saturday, but you can be forgiven for not enquiring after my health, given how little I post on here...

[Jordan]

None of the news coverage in Japan seems to be blaming video games. Apparently the guy was 'tired of life'.

As bad as this is (and it is horrible), Japan is a mazingly safe with a tiny, tiny crime rate (unless you are an umbrella or a bicycle, in which case you are fucked). There are total nutjobs everywhere, and there probably always will be. Tokyo is the safest-feeling city I have been in

I also live in Japan, and was in Tokyo on Saturday, but you can be forgiven for not enquiring after my health, given how little I post on here...

Apparently sexual crimes are pretty bad... apparently some of the trains have seperate female carriages due to all the rapes. Bluey, this true?

[Dyson]

Apparently sexual crimes are pretty bad...


:laughing:

[ReZourceman]

apparently some of the trains have seperate female carriages due to all the rapes.

Nice. Put all the weak women in one carriage, ripe for the taking.

[/Going to hell]

[Iun]

Nice. Put all the weak women in one carriage, ripe for the taking.

[/Going to hell]

You'll be in good company:bouncy:

[KingJoe]

They do have women only carriages, yes.
Sexual harrassment is pretty bad for women here. Not so much for men.
It is weird to hear rape referred to as 'sexuhara' though, the term doesn't seem strong enough.
I've heard stories, and know of one person who left Japan after some weirdo guy was stalking her, and she couldn't get help from the locals. Nobody really wants to stand out here, and that inludes standing out as the guy who stopped the weirdo from groping a woman on the train.

[MoogleViper]

It is weird to hear rape referred to as 'sexuhara' though, the term doesn't seem strong enough.

Haha "sex you harder".

[Dante]

More infomation:

Chugoku Shimbunsays that the “Dagger knife”, a knife that has an edge on both sides, that was used by the killer in the Akihabara stabbing incident is a popular item called “Dagger knife” that is present as an item in popular video games such as Dragon Quest.

Yomiuri Online agrees and reports that the “Dagger knife” is a weapon used in popular video games and the “Dagger knife” is very popular among young teenagers, and the police is now discussing countermeasures to possibly tighten the regulation on the possession of knives with long blades. (The current regulation only requires registration if the blade is longer than 15 cm)

Zakzak reports that doujinshi was found in the Akiba killer’s room, and according to his colleagues, he likes to sing “lolicon anime songs” and proclaimed that he only likes 2D girls. The Akiba killer had also previously said that he likes Akihabara and had showed his colleagues around the area to places such as maid cafes.

Zakzak continues reporting on the killer’s interests with games and CDs that the killer had given to a friend, including doujin games such as Eternal Fighter Zero and Chantelise, and the killer reportedly loves a certain “Moe anime girl danmaku shooter” for the PC.

Yahoo reports that Masuda Hiroya, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, has responded that they will try to see if they can regulate dangerous information on the internet in response to the fact that the Akiba killer had posted on a cellphone bbs (not 2ch) about his plans to kill people in Akiba hours before the incident but the authorities did not manage to detect it.

[Cube]

Yomiuri Online agrees and reports that the “Dagger knife” is a weapon used in popular video games and the “Dagger knife” is very popular among young teenagers, and the police is now discussing countermeasures to possibly tighten the regulation on the possession of knives with long blades. (The current regulation only requires registration if the blade is longer than 15 cm)

Wow.

Even though they mention video games, they mention that it's more the laws regarding knives that needs to be sorted out.

[bluey]

i went on a mission to find out if policemen carry guns here or not. apparently they do. *points*
http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v257/62/86/502507553/n502507553_928357_3097.jpg

Apparently sexual crimes are pretty bad... apparently some of the trains have seperate female carriages due to all the rapes. Bluey, this true?

i havent seen anything..... yet... most sexual thing i've seen on a train was some guy watching porn on his mobile phone :hmm:


standing out as the guy who stopped the weirdo from groping a woman on the train.

...but if i DID see/experience anything like that - i hope the guy is prepared for the serious ass kicking i'd do my very best to give him. :yay:

[Cube]

That policeman looks like he's half expecting you to nab his gun.

[bluey]

That policeman looks like he's half expecting you to nab his gun.
he was too quick for me, the schwine!!

[ReZourceman]

i havent seen anything..... yet... most sexual thing i've seen on a train was some guy watching porn on his mobile phone :hmm:

Eh? You must be mistaken, Ive never been to Japan.

[MoogleViper]

Eh? You must be mistaken, Ive never been to Japan.

I was over there last week.

[KingJoe]

Ha ha.
I saw a guy park up his car in wondergoo (videogames/music/dvd/book.etc shop) car par, recline his seat and pull out a porno mag yesterday. Quality.

I don't think the police in Ibaraki carry guns. I'm not sure if they could carry a truncheon. The security guards at the bank have guns, but they are made of cardboard.

[Iun]

Ha ha.
I saw a guy park up his car in wondergoo (videogames/music/dvd/book.etc shop) car par, recline his seat and pull out a porno mag yesterday. Quality.

I don't think the police in Ibaraki carry guns. I'm not sure if they could carry a truncheon. The security guards at the bank have guns, but they are made of cardboard.

The guards or the guns?

[Cube]

The guards or the guns?

Probably the guards.

[Shino]

And the guns.

[KingJoe]

yeah, both

[Jordan]

I just laughed out loud at work because of the last few comments :D

[bluey]

*makes mental note to test this new cardboard theory at a later date...*

kingjoe whereabouts do you live?? </stalk>