Horrible

[tikistitch]

Man’s Rampage in Tokyo Kills Seven

TOKYO – A 25-year-old man "tired" of life went on a killing rampage in a busy shopping area in central Tokyo on Sunday, plowing his truck into a crowd of pedestrians before stabbing passers-by with a survival knife. Seven people died and 11 others were injured in the attack.

The attack took place shortly after noon on a main thoroughfare that had been closed off to vehicles for the day in Akihabara, the main district for electronic goods in Tokyo and a magnet for fans of Japanese anime and manga comics. The location, as well as the number of fatalities, stunned a country that has long enjoyed low crime rates but has recently experienced random stabbings in less-high-profile areas.

Sadly, this is not the first we've heard of this kind of thing. Back when we were living in Westwood, a rare neighborhood in SoCal where people actually got out and walked, some idjit plowed onto the sidewalk and intentionally killed some random pedestrians. Still, weird to hear about it happening in Japan!

Comments

[aoi-no-neko.livejournal.com]

Sadly, when we were there in March, some young guy had killed his teacher and a few days later ran through a train station stabbing people because he wanted to be caught. Crime is really low there, but like everywhere else, there are a few who are disturbed.

This is really sad and shocking. I don't know what they can do, I just hope the news doesn't make others there want to do the same thing. Because when this sort of thing happens they cover it massively.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

I just hope the news doesn't make others there want to do the same thing.

*nods*

Also, back when we were there, though I know assault was quite rare, at least according to what we were told, suicide was not uncommon. I almost wonder if this is part of the same phenomenon, only, sadly, directed outward.

[aoi-no-neko.livejournal.com]

My impression is the thoughts around suicide go back to the widely held thought of honor, especially practiced by the Samurai. Which to us Westerners may seem crazy, but to the Japanese may have more meaning to it and less a result of mental problems and more of a way of saving one's honor.

The guy in March was definitely mentally ill. The news reports over there gave much more info. This latest guy is reported to say he was tired of life, but his actions seem a bit more than just one wanting to end his life. This wasn't suicide by cop because they did have their guns on him and threatened to shoot him but he just put down his knife and they arrested him. This had have been a very angry person.

It is very sad.

[biscuitbear.livejournal.com]

When I was there, there were several stabbing incidents relayed in the media over the news, some of them in schools. It seems the US has guns and Japan has knives.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

No doubt, if we had stricter gun control laws over here, then it would be stabbings, or something else.

[biscuitbear.livejournal.com]

Sorry meant "over the years" not "over the news". They tightened security at the schools after that. In France I don't think it's that difficult to get into a school which is rather scary.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

My impression, terrible as they were, was that the incidents in the Japanese schools involved kids who were fighting each other. My impression (right or wrong) of American school shootings, at least the ones who make the news, is a disaffected kid who kind of goes after everybody.

After the shooting at the college back east, I actually went to a safety training class at my university. They reassured us that the campus is a *very* safe place, but it's still something that tends to make you paranoid. I now know that if there's a deranged lunatic outside, my office is the safest, because there is no window on our door, so no way to peek in if the door is locked. This is *not* the kind of thing I ever wanted to know.

[fushigikb.livejournal.com]

civilians in japan aren't allowed to own hand guns

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Waiting for Japanese and international media and pseudo-academic wank about how this reflects the specific character of Japan...3...2...1...

Sigh.

Some guy from my city, Fremont, drove his SUV from Fremont to San Francisco just for the purpose of running over people. He killed several. Gah.