Akihabara massacre

Akihabara massacre

The crossing where the incident happened.
Location Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
Date June 8, 2008
12:33-12:36 p.m. (JST)
Attack type Mass murder, stabbing
Weapon(s) Truck, dagger
Deaths 7
Injured 10
Perpetrator Tomohiro Katō (加藤 智大 Katō Tomohiro?)

The Akihabara massacre (秋葉原通り魔事件 Akihabara Tōrima Jiken?, lit. "Akihabara random attacker incident") was an incident of mass murder that took place on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in the Akihabara shopping quarter for electronics, video games and comics in Sotokanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.

At 12:33 p.m. JST, a man hit a crowd with a truck, eventually killing three people and injuring two; he then stabbed at least 12 people using a dagger (initially reported as a survival knife)[1] killing four people and injuring eight.[2][3][4][5]

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested Tomohiro Katō (加藤 智大 Katō Tomohiro?), 25, on suspicion of attempted murder.[4][5] The suspect, dressed then in a black T-shirt with a jacket and off-white trousers,[6] was a resident of Susono, Shizuoka.[4][7] He was held at the Manseibashi Police Station.[8] Two days later on June 10, he was sent to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office.[4][7] He was later re-arrested by the police on June 20 on suspicion of murder.[5][9] During the trial, prosecutors sought the death penalty, [10] and the Tokyo District Court agreed, sentencing Kato to death. [11]

Contents

Details

The incident

The suspect Katō drove a two-ton rented truck into a crowd at the crossing of Kanda Myōjin-dōri and Chūō-dōri streets in Akihabara.[1][13] While Kanda Myōjin-dōri was open to traffic, Chūō-dōri was closed to vehicular traffic for the convenience of shopping pedestrians,[1] a practice observed every Sunday and during holidays.[14] Police concluded it was at 12:33 P.M. when he hit five people with the truck,[15][16] after ignoring a red light earlier that morning.[15] As some people gathered to care for the victims,[17] he then left the truck and stabbed at least 12 people, according to a witness, while screaming.[18][19] Police chased him, cornered him into a narrow alley, and a police officer pointed a gun at him; he dropped his knife and was held down by the police at 12:35 P.M., about 170 meters (600 ft) away from the truck.[1][15]

The victims

At least 17 ambulances rushed to the scene as passersby tried to revive the victims. Five of the victims reportedly went into cardiac arrest at the scene.[20] It was initially reported two people died from the attack, and during the day the death toll increased to seven. Later it was determined through autopsies that three victims died as a result of being hit by the truck while the other four were fatally stabbed.[21]

According to police and hospital officials, six of the seven who were killed were men, including Kazunori Fujino and his friend Takahiro Kamaguchi (both 19), Katsuhiko Nakamura (74), Naoki Miyamoto (31), Mitsuru Matsui (33), and Kasuhiro Koiwa (47). A woman, Mai Mutō (21), was also killed.[22] Communication records showed that Mutō probably made an emergency call for police from her mobile phone, though she left no message.[23] Later that day, a makeshift memorial was created by passersby.[24][12]

Perpetrator

Early life and education

Tomohiro Katō (加藤智大 Katō Tomohiro?) (born September 28, 1982) grew up in a suburban home in Aomori, Honshu.[25] His father was a top manager in a financial institution. Katō's grades were considered to be exceptional in elementary school and he was a top track athlete.[25] He entered Tsukuda Junior High School[26] and became president of the tennis club in middle school. He started to act violently at home after enrolling at Aomori Prefectural Aomori High School, an elite high school.[27][28] Katō was unpopular with his classmates and his class academic ranking fell to 300 (of 360 students). He failed entrance examinations for the prestigious Hokkaido University, eventually training as an auto mechanic at Nakanihon Automotive College.[25] He was hired as a temporary worker at an auto parts factory in central Shizuoka Prefecture, though he had been recently told that his job was to be cut at the end of June.[28]

Katō reportedly did not get along well with his parents, and seldom returned home.[29][30] An interview with Katō's brother revealed that his parents had put immense pressure on them to perform and to excel in their studies,[29] ordering them to redo their homework to high standards in order to impress teachers in school, and recalled one incident when Katō was made to eat scraps of food from the floor.[30] Another neighbour described Katō being punished by his parents, who made him stand outside for hours in deep cold during winter.[25] Previous online postings before his announcement of the attack contained sharp criticisms of his own upbringing.[31] Deeply in debt and believing that his family had given up on him, Katō unsuccessfully attempted suicide in 2006 by ramming his car into a wall.[25]

Motivations

Three days before the attack, on June 5, Katō accused people at his workplace of hiding his work clothes, and left work immediately afterwards. Apparently he believed at this point he was going to lose his job, though this was not actually the case.[26][32][33] This may have triggered the attack.[34]

The suspect apparently posted messages from his mobile phone to a Web site "Extreme Exchange, Revised"[35][36], revealing his intentions through his final message via his mobile phone 20 minutes before the attack.[37] A police official stated the first message read, "I will kill people in Akihabara." Other messages he is alleged to have posted include, "If only I had a girlfriend, I wouldn't have quit work," "I would never have become addicted to my mobile phone. Anybody with hope couldn't possibly understand how I feel,"[38] and "I don't have a single friend and I won't in the future. I'll be ignored because I'm ugly. I'm lower than trash because at least the trash gets recycled."[28] It also referred to "a stabbing spree in Tsuchiura."[39] Commentators referred to the incident, based on the messages, as another case with the phenomenon of Hikikomori or Internet suicide.[40][41][42] Later messages revealed his plan to use a vehicle until it became inoperable, and then to use a knife to continue the attack on foot.[43][44] He waited for Chūō-dōri to close at noon to vehicular traffic before commencing the attack.[45][46]

Investigation

The suspect Katō was arrested red-handed of attempted murder after a police officer spotted him stabbing a woman.[5] On June 10 the police sent him to Tokyo District Prosecutor's Office.[4][7] On June 20 the police arrested him again on suspicion of murder[5] of the seven victims.[9] On the same day the Prosecutor's Office withheld action on him for the first suspicion.[47] While being positive about his capacity to hold the criminal liability,[9] the Prosecutor's Office decided by June 20 to demand that his detention for a psychiatric test be authorized by the Tokyo District Court.[9][47]

Katō was cooperative during the inquiry but unapologetic, and cried at times. Police seized from his apartment empty packages of knives, their receipts, and one club.

Katō erased all contacts and communication records from his mobile phone just prior to the attack, the purpose of which he confessed was to avoid annoying those around him.[46] Katō later said that he posted the online messages hoping that police would take notice and stop him.[48]

The knives were reportedly purchased two days before the attack from a military supply shop in Fukui at about 12:40 p.m.[28] Katō spent about 20 minutes in the store, purchasing a telescopic baton and a pair of leather gloves while the store closed-circuit television captured him talking to and laughing with the salesman and demonstrating stabbing motions.[49][50] Katō came to Akihabara a day before the attack to sell his personal computer and some software to raise money to rent the truck.[50][51]

Reactions and consequences

The attack made global headlines and sent shock waves across Japan,[52] shaking public confidence in what is traditionally considered a society safe from violent crime.[53] The Government of Japan is now reviewing laws regulating knives.[54][55][56] The Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission announced that the 35-year old practice of closing Chūō-dōri on Sundays and holidays was to be suspended until safety measures were reviewed.[14] Katō's parents gave an apology to the victims in a television interview.[57]

Konami canceled three launch events of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots in Tokyo, with the "safety of participants in mind" as a result of the attack.[58][59]

The massacre also sparked many conversations in Japanese blogs when it was discovered that two Ustream users had broadcast live video streams of the tragedy, attracting a viewership estimated at between 1000 and 3000 people. No known recording has been saved of the videos, although the event has been written about in many Japanese blogs and online IT magazines.[60][61]

The current Super Sentai series at the time of the attack, "Engine Sentai Go-onger" (2008) featured transforming daggers as part of the heroes' standard personal sidearms, called Switch Funshaken Rocket Dagger(s) (in reference to their rocket-shaped themes). After the attack, which occurred the day immediately after the Rocket Daggers made their debut in the series, both Bandai, the company that makes the toy versions of the weapons, and Toei, the company that produces the TV series, changed their names to "Switch Funshaken Rocket Booster(s)" and re-designated them as "swords" rather than "daggers" out of respect for the victims of the attack, and to lessen any trauma in the 6-8-year-old audience that the tokusatsu franchise regularly targets.[62]

Toei animation's One Piece was edited in TV broadcast the following week, as one of the main characters was stabbed in the back with a knife.

On 17 June 2008, convicted child serial murderer Tsutomu Miyazaki was executed by hanging, which was suspected to be a reaction to Katō's massacre.[63][64]

The media labeled the attacks as a growing epidemic of "kireru" (キレる?), acts of rage committed by Tokyo's alienated youth; others labeled the otaku culture as the answer for its negative stereotype of compulsive, antisocial behavior.[65]

Conviction

On March 24, 2011, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Kato to death after finding him fully responsible for the attack.[66]

Related or similar events

The stabbings occurred exactly seven years after the Osaka school massacre, where eight elementary school students were killed.[3][67] In 2008, there had also been another random knife killing by Masahiro Kanagawa,[68] though on a smaller scale. Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who visited the site a week after the massacre to offer prayer to the victims,[69] said that he "is worried that similar cases occur about 10 times a year in Japan."[32][70] According to the National Police Agency, 67 similar random attacks have taken place between 1998 and 2007.[53] It was reported that Katō's massacre was "the worst case of its kind" since World War II "in terms of the number of deaths."[32][71][72]

A few days after the attack, police arrested several people who stated their intention to make copycat killings elsewhere in Japan,[73][74][75][76][77][78] including one case who made his intentions known to popular message board 2channel.[79][80] On June 22 three women were injured by a female attacker at Ōsaka Station;[81] a 38-year-old woman later confessed to attacking two of the victims with a razor.[82] A 19-year-old man who made an Internet threat to go on a June 15 stabbing spree at Tokyo Disney Resort was arrested by police.[83] Between June 8 and June 23, 12 people were arrested, and five people warned, for making threatening messages. The 17 people involved in the threats ranged from 13 to 30 years old.[84] On 26 June 2008, police overpowered and arrested a man who was found to have a knife in his possession in Akihabara.[85]

See also

Media related to Akihabara massacre at Wikimedia Commons


References

  1. ^ a b c d "秋葉原通り魔：死亡７人、負傷１０人に…２５歳男を逮捕" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-09. http://mainichi.jp/select/today/news/20080609k0000m040013000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  2. ^ Dolan, David (2008-06-08). "Man stabs shoppers in Tokyo street, killing seven". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUST27752620080608. Retrieved 2008-06-08. 
  3. ^ a b Masters, Coco (2008-06-09). "Japan Reeling from Stabbing Spree". Time (Magazine). http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1812808,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  4. ^ a b c d e "４人、一突きで失血死　容疑者に強い殺意　秋葉原殺傷" (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun Company. 2008-06-10. http://www2.asahi.com/special2/080609/TKY200806100128.html. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  5. ^ a b c d e "秋葉原殺傷：通行人を次々襲い交差点縦断…殺人で再逮捕" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-20. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/akihabara/archive/news/2008/06/20080620k0000e040073000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-26. 
  6. ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (2008-06-09). "Man who killed 7 in Tokyo left online warnings". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/09/asia/09tokyo.php. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  7. ^ a b c "秋葉原通り魔：加藤容疑者を殺人未遂容疑で送検" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-10. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/akihabara/archive/news/2008/06/20080610k0000e040034000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-26. 
  8. ^ "加藤智大容疑者が留置されている万世橋署に集まった報道陣" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-09. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/46.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  9. ^ a b c d "秋葉原殺傷：「ネットで存在感誇示」　殺人容疑で再逮捕" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-21. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/akihabara/archive/news/2008/06/20080621k0000m040132000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-26. 
  10. ^ http://www.jiadep.org/Kato_Tomohiro.html
  11. ^ http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/24_38.html
  12. ^ a b "東京・秋葉原殺傷：アキバを愛すオタク流の弔い　アニメのセル画、献花台に手向け(Akihabara regulars pay 'otaku' tribute to stabbing rampage victims)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-13. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/archive/news/2008/06/13/20080613dde041040014000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-13. 
  13. ^ "Seven dead in Tokyo knife attack". BBC News. 2008-06-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7442327.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  14. ^ a b c "東京・秋葉原殺傷：歩行者天国の中止、公安委員会が決定(No more pedestrians-only street in Akihabara following stabbing rampage)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-13. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/archive/news/2008/06/13/20080613dde041040020000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-13. 
  15. ^ a b c "秋葉原殺傷：突入から逮捕まで２分間で１７人襲う　容疑者(Akihabara mass slayer attacked 17 victims in 2 minutes)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-16. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/akihabara/news/20080616k0000e040056000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  16. ^ "Knife rampage, arrest over in 2 mins". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-17. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20080618200522/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080617TDY02301.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  17. ^ "Akihabara random killer stabbed three people who were caring for victims". Mainichi Daily News. 2008-06-17. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080617p2a00m0na004000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  18. ^ McCurry, Justin (2008-06-09). "'He was screaming as he stabbed people': seven die in frenzied knife attack in Tokyo". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/09/japan.internationalcrime1. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  19. ^ "7 dead in Tokyo stabbing rampage". USA Today (Associated Press). 2008-06-08. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-06-08-stabbing-tokyo_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  20. ^ Banerjee, Subhajit (2008-06-08). "Tokyo stabbing: Five killed as man goes on knife rampage in Akihabara". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/2093408/Tokyo-stabbing-Five-killed-as-man-goes-on-knife-rampage-in-Akihabara.html. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  21. ^ "秋葉原通り魔：被害者３人は全身打撲、４人は失血死(3 of Akihabara attack victims were fatally hit by truck, 4 others stabbed to death)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-10. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080610k0000e040071000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  22. ^ "7 die in Tokyo stabbing frenzy / Suspect posted messages on Net warning of Akihabara attack". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-10. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080611010632/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080610TDY01302.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  23. ^ "Akihabara street rampage victim called police during attack". Mainichi Daily News. 2008-06-19. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080619p2a00m0na014000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  24. ^ "秋葉原で通り魔　白昼の惨劇" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-10. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
    "通り魔事件の現場近くの交差点に犠牲者の冥福を祈り置かれた花束" (in Japanese). 2008-06-08. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/41.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
    "通り魔事件の現場近くの交差点に犠牲者の冥福を祈り花束とともに置かれた人気アニメ「機動戦士ガンダム」のセル画" (in Japanese). 2008-06-08. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/42.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
    "花束が置かれた通り魔事件の現場交差点で、手を合わせ犠牲者の冥福を祈る男性" (in Japanese). 2008-06-08. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/43.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
    "事件現場で正座し手を合わせる男性" (in Japanese). 2008-06-09. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/44.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
    "通り魔事件の現場の交差点に手向けられた花束を前に目頭を押さえる男性" (in Japanese). 2008-06-09. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/47.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
    "通り魔事件の現場近くの交差点に手向けられた花束を前に手を合わせる男性" (in Japanese). 2008-06-09. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/graph/20080608/48.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  25. ^ a b c d e "For Akiba mass murderer Tomohiro Katō, the problems began at home, say shrinks". Sunday Mainichi Magazine (サンデー毎日). 2008-06-22. 
  26. ^ a b "秋葉原通り魔：「作業服ない」騒ぐ…加藤容疑者(Missing work clothes at factory may have sparked Akihabara stabbing rampage)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-09. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080609k0000e040040000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  27. ^ "「親とうまくいっていない」　加藤容疑者、孤立深める？ ["I Am Not Well in with My Parents." The Suspect Katō Was Increasingly Isolated, Wasn't He?]" (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. 2008-06-11. http://www2.asahi.com/special2/080609/TKY200806100282.html. Retrieved 2010-09-02. 
  28. ^ a b c d "Japan massacre suspect said he was ugly, lonely". The Straits Times (AFP). 2008-06-10. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20080613005327/http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Asia/STIStory_246337.html. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  29. ^ a b "Rampage suspect didn't get on well with parents". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-14. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080614TDY03302.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 
  30. ^ a b "Tokyo killer 'stifled' by strict mum". The Sydney Morning Herald (AFP). 2008-06-16. http://news.smh.com.au/world/tokyo-killer-stifled-by-strict-mum-20080616-2rf1.html. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  31. ^ "Akihabara suspect blames parents, work". International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun. 2008-06-12. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20080613223805/http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200806110280.html. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 
  32. ^ a b c Hogg, Chris (2008-06-10). "Japan seeks answers on knife attack". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7445694.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  33. ^ "Katō 'claims job despair made him kill'". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-11. Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20080614095348/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080611TDY01301.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
  34. ^ "秋葉原事件、作業着の騒ぎが犯行のきっかけ　容疑者供述" (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun Company. Archived from the original on 2008-07-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080711042055/http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0708/TKY200807080004.html. Retrieved 2008-07-07. 
  35. ^ Eric Talmadge & Mari Yamaguchi (2008-06-12). "Tokyo stabbing melee foretold on Internet postings". Forbes (Associated Press). http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/12/ap5110866.html. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
  36. ^ 7 dead in Akihabara stabbings [UPDATE] - Japanator.com - anime blog, anime podcast, manga, anime wallpapers, pictures, games, movies, and more!
  37. ^ "Japan police probe stab 'warning'". BBC News. 2008-06-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7443233.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  38. ^ "誰でもよかった：秋葉原通り魔事件／上（その１）　孤独な心情、サイトに(Akihabara mass murder suspect said he empathized with indiscriminate killers)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-10. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/archive/news/2008/06/10/20080610ddm041040022000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  39. ^ "加藤容疑者、直前まで実況中継" (in Japanese). Nikkan sports. 2008-06-10. http://www.nikkansports.com/general/news/p-gn-tp0-20080610-370417.html. Retrieved 2008-06-13. 
  40. ^ Kelts, Ronald (2008-06-13). "SOFT POWER, HARD TRUTHS / No man, or nation, is an island". The Daily Yomiuri. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20080613TDY13001.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
  41. ^ Ryall, Julian (2008-06-11). "Japan's recluses emerge and start killing". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/06/11/do1106.xml. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  42. ^ Lewis, Leo (2008-06-19). "Japan gripped by suicide epidemic". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4170649.ece. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  43. ^ "Knife frenzy suspect warned: It's time". CNN. 2008-06-09. Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20080610162858/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/09/japan.attack.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  44. ^ Reynolds, Isabel (2008-06-09). "Blog warnings posted ahead of Tokyo knife rampage". The Star (Malaysia) (Reuters). http://thestar.com.my/news/nastory.asp?file=/2008/6/9/worldupdates/2008-06-09T162426Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-339745-2&sec=Worldupdates. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  45. ^ "Katō 'waited for crowds to form' / Akihabara knifing spree suspect said to have known busiest time in area". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-12. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20080613012204/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080612TDY02308.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
  46. ^ a b "秋葉原殺傷：加藤容疑者、ホコ天開始までトラック止め待機(Suspect waited for crowds of pedestrians before going on Akihabara rampage)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-11. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080611k0000e040032000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-13. 
  47. ^ a b "加藤容疑者、7人殺害容疑で再逮捕　秋葉原無差別殺傷" (in Japanese). The Asahi Shimbun Company. 2008-06-20. http://www2.asahi.com/special2/080609/TKY200806200200.html. Retrieved 2008-06-26. 
  48. ^ "Akihabara stabbing rampage suspect hoped Net warning would alert police". Mainichi Daily News. 2008-06-12. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080612p2a00m0na005000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  49. ^ "Katō 'spent 20 minutes choosing knives'". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-11. Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. http://web.archive.org/web/20080614095053/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080611TDY02303.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
  50. ^ a b "Knives in Tokyo rampage bought just before the assault". International Herald Tribune (Associated Press). 2008-06-10. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/10/asia/tokyo.php. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  51. ^ Talmadge, Eric (2008-06-10). "Japan stabbing suspect cries during interrogation". Forbes (Associated Press). Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080611121645/http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/10/ap5100395.html. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  52. ^ "Killings make global headlines". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-10. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080611010657/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080610TDY03101.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  53. ^ a b "Society's notion of safety shaken to its core". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-10. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080611164405/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/editorial/20080610TDY04305.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  54. ^ "Japan to review knife rules". Al Jazeera. 2008-06-09. http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3BA697A2-BCA6-4752-863C-36F03AD5B91F.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  55. ^ Hogg, Chris (2008-06-08). "Bewilderment in Tokyo after attack". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7442545.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  56. ^ Lewis, Leo (2008-06-09). "On the spot: Japan's geeks come to mourn". London: The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4095334.ece. Retrieved 2008-06-09. 
  57. ^ Ryall, Julian (2008-06-11). "Tokyo stabbing: Japanese knifeman's parents apologise to victims". London: The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/2109255/Tokyo-stabbing-Japanese-knifeman%27s-parents-apologise-to-victims.html. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  58. ^ Yuasa, Shino (2008-06-11). "Tokyo Suspect Had Several Knives". Time (Magazine) (Associated Press). http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1813463,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  59. ^ "秋葉原殺傷：コナミ　「メタルギア」の発売記念イベント中止　「安全性を考慮」 (Konami cancels 'Metal Gear Solid' release events following Akihabara stabbing spree)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-11. http://mainichi.jp/enta/mantan/news/20080611mog00m200003000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  60. ^ Salzberg, Chris (2008-11-04). "The day Japan's netizens turned news on its head.". Japan Inc.. http://www.japaninc.com/mgz_november_2008_caught-in-the-web. Retrieved 2008-11-04. 
  61. ^ Salzberg, Chris (2008-06-16). "Japan: Reflections on the Akiba Massacre (Part 2)". Global Voices. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2008/06/16/japan-reflections-on-the-akiba-massacre-part-2/. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 
  62. ^ 「【秋葉原通り魔事件】ダガーナイフ連想…ゴーオンジャー武器の名称変更」事件です‐事件ニュース:イザ！
  63. ^ Foster, Martin (2008-06-18). "Japan Hangs Three Convicted Killers". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/world/asia/18japan.html?ref=world. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  64. ^ "Japanese executions at brisk pace". The Seattle Times. 2008-06-18. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008003414_japanhang18.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  65. ^ EGM Magazine September 2008 Issue, Page 16.
  66. ^ "Tomohiro Kato sentenced to death over Tokyo stabbings". BBC News. March 24, 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12844673. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
  67. ^ "7 killed, 10 injured in stabbing rampage in Akihabara". Japan Today. 2008-06-08. http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/12-stabbed-others-hit-by-assailants-car-on-akihabara-street. Retrieved 2008-06-08. 
  68. ^ McNeill, David (2008-06-09). "Seven killed as knifeman goes on rampage in Tokyo". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/seven-killed-as-knifeman-goes-on-rampage-in-tokyo-842794.html. Retrieved 2008-06-11. 
  69. ^ "Japan's Fukuda prays for stabbing victims". The Straits Times (AFP). 2008-06-19. Archived from the original on 2008-06-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20080623001250/http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest+News/Asia/STIStory_249568.html. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  70. ^ (NHK World website 10/6/08)
  71. ^ sfgate.com, A bloody rampage shocks low-crime Japan
  72. ^ "7 knife frenzies in 10 yrs; Akihabara worst postwar street stabbing". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-10. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20080611164249/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080610TDY03104.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-10. 
  73. ^ "Papers to be sent on girl over bloodbath warning". The Daily Yomiuri. 2008-06-16. Archived from the original on 2008-06-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20080618193802/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080616TDY02301.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 
  74. ^ "脅迫：無差別殺傷ほのめかすメール送った男逮捕　大阪府警(Man nabbed after threatening singer's agency to go on 'Akihabara-like' killing spree)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-15. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080615k0000e040014000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 
  75. ^ "書き込み：「空港駅で人を刺す」…２４歳男逮捕　愛知(Man arrested over random stabbing threat at airport railway station)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-17. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080617k0000e040084000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  76. ^ "ネット書き込み：「渋谷で大量殺人」…福井の私大生逮捕(University student arrested over mass murder threat in Shibuya)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-20. http://mainichi.jp/select/today/news/20080620k0000e040063000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  77. ^ "ネット殺人予告：１６歳少女を家裁に書類送致　警視庁(Girl posts 'Akihabara-style' mass murder threat on Internet)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-23. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080623k0000e040066000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
  78. ^ "秋葉原殺傷：犯行予告の書き込み、事件後に１７件　警察庁(Flood of 'Akihabara-style' murder threats posted on Internet: NPA)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-24. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/akihabara/news/20080624k0000e040058000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-26. 
  79. ^ "偽計業務妨害：秋葉原事件まねた書き込み男逮捕　池袋署(Akihabara copycat arrested for threatening Tokyo street attack)" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-16. http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20080616k0000e040072000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-16. 
  80. ^ "4 arrested in Japan for Web posts warning of more bloody attacks". International Herald Tribune (Associated Press). 2008-06-17. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/06/17/asia/AS-GEN-Japan-Web-Threats.php. Retrieved 2008-06-17. 
  81. ^ "Japanese police search for female stabber". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 2008-06-23. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200806231110.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
  82. ^ "Woman arrested over Osaka Station attacks admits slashing 2 victims with razor". Mainichi Shimbun. 2008-06-26. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080626p2a00m0na005000c.html. Retrieved 2008-07-16. 
  83. ^ "Japanese police arrest man over Internet stabbing threat". International Herald Tribune (Associated Press). 2008-06-23. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/23/asia/japan.php. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
  84. ^ "ネット殺人予告で１２人逮捕　秋葉原事件後". Sankei Sports. 2008-06-24. http://www.sanspo.com/shakai/news/080624/sha0806241245007-n1.htm. Retrieved 2008-06-25. 
  85. ^ "傷害：川崎の２２歳無職と判明　秋葉原で逮捕の男 Arrested man identified after knife scuffle with police in Akihabara" (in Japanese). THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS. 2008-06-27. http://mainichi.jp/select/today/news/20080627k0000e040067000c.html. Retrieved 2008-06-27.