Wave of knife attacks in Japan sparks fears of copycat cases

South China Morning Post

14-05-2025

A spate of knife attacks in
Japan carried out by teenagers targeting family members, classmates and random strangers is seen as a reflection of growing psychological stress and a deepening sense of isolation experienced by youth living in an increasingly competitive society.
Warning about past
violent incidents influencing the more recent cases, analysts say authorities must remain vigilant to the risk of further attacks.
On Friday, police found the bodies of a 75-year-old man and his 72-year-old wife in their home in the city of Tahara, in Aichi prefecture. The couple had apparently been attacked while they were sleeping and had suffered numerous stab wounds.
The following day, the couple's grandson, aged 16, was arrested on suspicion of murder. After finding what appeared to be a weapon used in the attack, police told local media that the boy confirmed that he had killed the couple.
On the same day, a 17-year-old was punched in the face and stabbed in the back on a street in the city of Ota in Gunma prefecture. The next day, a high school student, also aged 17, surrendered himself to local police, accompanied by his parents, and was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
On Monday, a junior high school student aged 15 was arrested in Chiba city, east of Tokyo, on suspicion of a random knife attack the previous day in which a woman aged 84 was stabbed to death. The police said the boy had admitted to the allegations against him, and they were questioning him.