Mass Stabbing in Kawasaki

Japan is generally believed to be a safe country, with a low number of homicides, little access to weapons and one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

The brutal stabbing that took place in Kawasaki has changed the perception that Japan is a safe country. According to Japanese media, two dead and 16 injured in attack on children. We were particularly shocked that the attack targeted children who were waiting for school bus.

Although the perpetrator was not normal Japanese, it is regrettable that his act was not prevented even though people close to him were aware that he was socially withdrawn and dangerous.

Bunkyo Civic Center

We also recall the similar incidents that took place in Japan in recent years. Mass attacks are rare but it has experienced sporadic, deadly attacks involving knives. In 2016, the brutal mass murders in Sagamihara targeting intellectually disabled people. In 2008, a man drove a truck into a crowd, killing several people in Akihabara.

The attack sent shock waves throughout Japan, shaking public confidence in what had been considered a society safe from violent crime.

Some experts say that a growing epidemic of “otaku” culture or “kireru” act, that was specific to Japan, might be considered to be the cause for such negative, anti-social behavior.

“Kireru” is a Japanese term that describes a sudden explosion of individual violence which can result in bloody act. “Otaku” refers to people who become so obsessively interested in something, like anime or computer games, that they become isolated from society and stop interacting with other people.

These cases were treated as singular incidents caused by social outcasts. However, their root causes are still unidentified and no efforts have been made so far to cope with the related social problems.

In any case we offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who were killed in the attack in Kawasaki.