Latest news with #YoshitakaToda
Japan Times
12-05-2025
- Japan Times
More details emerge about stabbing near Tokyo University metro station
A 43-year-old man accused of stabbing a University of Tokyo student at Todaimae Station last week told police he was partly motivated by financial struggles and a desire to make a statement about what he saw as educational abuse. The suspect, Yoshitaka Toda, who has been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of attempted murder, said that he chose to attack the 20-year-old victim at the train station in central Tokyo because he thought that if he committed the crime at a train station and stopped the trains 'it would cause a big impact to society.' This was in addition to his earlier admission that he chose the location of the crime — at the station associated with Japan's top university — to provoke thoughts about educational abuse. Todaimae, located in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, is home to the University of Tokyo's Hongo campus. Toda said that he grew up under intense academic pressure from overbearing parents, leading to mental health issues and truancy in junior high school. He claimed he committed the crime to show how such pressure could push a child off course. He also told investigators he was struggling financially in adulthood. Although he described himself as 'technically self-employed,' his bank records showed no stable source of income. While living in Tokyo's Nakano Ward, the suspect bought an akiya, or abandoned house, in Nagano Prefecture in 2022 through an akiya matching service, and had been living there alone ever since. The suspect came to Tokyo from his home in Nagano on May 7 and, after spending some time in Shinjuku, visited the University of Tokyo where he explored the campus and had a meal in the cafeteria. He stayed on the premises for around an hour and 20 minutes before entering Todaimae station at 6:25 p.m. Less than 30 minutes later, he slashed the University of Tokyo student on the back with a kitchen knife as the student was boarding a train, then chased him into the carriage and stabbed him two more times. The third-year student sustained non-life-threatening injuries. He told police that he has no prior connection with the attacker. Translated by The Japan Times
The Mainichi
10-05-2025
- The Mainichi
Japan man arrested in Tokyo subway slashing cites education pressure as motive
TOKYO -- A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder for stabbing a male university student at the Tokyo Metro's Todaimae Station has stated he wanted to highlight the downside of excessive parental pressure over education, investigative sources said. Yoshitaka Toda, 43, from Ikusaka, Nagano Prefecture, was quoted as telling investigators, "I wanted to show education-obsessed parents who push their children toward the University of Tokyo (called "Todai" for short in Japanese) that excessive pressure could cause their kids to go astray and commit crimes like me." Authorities believe Toda aimed to attract public attention by carrying out the attack near the prestigious university. Investigative sources said Toda had initially remained silent after his arrest but began cooperating on May 8. He reportedly told investigators that when he was in junior high school, his parents' excessive focus on education led him to stop attending school. Regarding his choice of Todaimae Station in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, Toda was quoted as saying, "The station's name includes 'Todai,' which I thought would make people easily associate the incident with educational abuse." The stabbing took place at around 6:55 p.m. on May. 7. The victim, a 20-year-old university student, was about to board a train when he was attacked from behind with a kitchen knife with an approximately 16-centimeter-long blade. He sustained cuts to the back of his neck, forehead and left hand, requiring about 10 days of hospitalization. Toda is thought to have been unacquainted with the victim. He reportedly claimed, "I targeted this man just because he happened to be nearby. As long as my message was conveyed, it didn't matter to me whether the victim lived or died." Toda also stated financial hardship was partially behind his actions. According to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) investigation, Toda traveled from Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo on the day of the incident. At around 4 p.m., he is believed to have been walking near the Tokyo Metro's Hongo-sanchome Station, which is close to the University of Tokyo. On May 9, the MPD sent Toda to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on charges of attempted murder and a violation of the Firearms and Swords Control Law.
Tokyo Reported
10-05-2025
- Tokyo Reported
Suspect in stabbing near Tokyo University wanted to send message to 'education-conscious parents'
TOKYO (TR) – A 43-year-old man in custody over the alleged stabbing of university student on a Tokyo Metro subway line in Bunkyo Ward on Wednesday has told police that he committed the crime to send a message to his 'education-conscious parents,' reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (May 9). At just before 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Yoshitaka Toda, of no known occupation, allegedly used a kitchen knife to slash the head of a third-year Tokyo University student, 20, on a Namboku Line train stopped at Todai-mae Station. Three commuters apprehended Toda at the scene. One of them, a Nepalese man, suffered a cut index finger on his right hand. Police arriving at the station arrested Toda on suspicion of attempted murder. They also retrieved a butcher knife from the subway pkatform. Neither the student nor the Nepalese man suffered serious injuries, police said. Yoshitaka Toda (X) 'Crimes will occur' Police believe that he chose the station since it is named after Tokyo University and attacked passengers indiscriminately. According to a senior official with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Toda had remained silent during questioning after his arrest. But he started explaining his motive on Thursday. 'I wanted to show my education-conscious parents who were aiming for [me to go to] Tokyo University that if they go too far, crimes will occur,' he told police, according to an investigative source. Police found a butcher knife on the subway platform after the stabbing on Wednesday night (X) 'I didn't care if he died' Toda, who lives in the village of Ikusaka, Nagano Prefecture, said that he stopped going to school in junior high school because of his strict parents. He confessed, 'The station is named after Tokyo University, so I thought it would be easy to associate it with educational abuse.' When asked why he attacked the student, he said, 'I targeted him because he happened to be nearby. I didn't care if he died.' On Friday, police sent Toda to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on suspicion of attempted murder and violation of the Swords and Firearms Control Law.
09-05-2025
No Link Seen between Suspect, Victim in Tokyo Knife Incident
News from Japan Society May 9, 2025 20:08 (JST) Tokyo, May 9 (Jiji Press)--The suspect in Wednesday's knife attack at a subway station in Tokyo has told police that he chose his target because the person was just nearby, and that he does not know the victim, investigative sources said Friday. In the attack, Yoshitaka Toda, 43, a self-proclaimed sole proprietor, injured a third-year male student of the University of Tokyo at Todaimae Station on Tokyo Metro Co.'s Nanboku Line in the Japanese capital's Bunkyo Ward. No connection has been found between Toda and the 20-year-old student, and Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department believes that this was an indiscriminate attack. The male student told the police that Toda is a stranger to him. The sources quoted the suspect as saying that he targeted the student just because he happened to be there, and that there was no particular reason for assailing him. Toda said the motive for the attack was his experience of suffering educational abuse, or excessive demands by his parents to study hard, during his junior high school years. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
09-05-2025
- Japan Times
Suspect in Tokyo Metro stabbing chose station to highlight ‘educational abuse'
A 43-year-old man accused of stabbing a University of Tokyo student at Todaimae Station in central Tokyo earlier this week has told investigators he chose the location because it would 'evoke thoughts of educational abuse,' police sources said Friday. The suspect, Yoshitaka Toda, was sent to prosecutors the same day on suspicion of attempted murder and violating a weapons possession law. According to police, Toda admitted to the attack and claimed he wanted to make a statement about the pressures of overbearing parenting. 'I suffered from educational abuse by my parents,' Toda reportedly said. 'I chose Todaimae Station because it would make people associate the attack with that kind of pressure. I wanted to show that excessive expectations can drive a child to go astray.' Toda added that he struggled with mental health issues stemming from his upbringing, saying he became truant in junior high school due to his parents' expectations for him to excel academically. The suspect claimed he wanted to demonstrate the dangers of such parenting by targeting a location associated with Japan's top university. 'I wanted to show parents that if you push too hard for your child to go to the University of Tokyo, your child could end up like me — committing a crime,' he was quoted as saying. Todaimae Station is about a minute's walk from the University of Tokyo's Hongo campus in the capital's Bunkyo Ward, home to its iconic Yasuda Auditorium and several academic departments. The victim, a 20-year-old third-year male student, sustained non-life-threatening injuries after being slashed with a kitchen knife on the platform of the station, through which Tokyo Metro's Namboku Line runs, at around 6:53 p.m. on Wednesday. He told police he did not know the attacker, and no prior connection between the two has been found. Investigators believe Toda traveled from his home in Nagano Prefecture to Tokyo on the day of the incident. A credit card receipt in his possession showed he had purchased a train ticket from Akashina Station in Nagano on the Shinonoi Line to Takao Station in western Tokyo, an interchange that connects to the Chuo Line. Surveillance footage reviewed by police shows Toda wandering near the crime scene for approximately two hours before the attack. From around 4 p.m., he was seen stopping at a supermarket and convenience stores near Todaimae Station, buying drinks and loitering in the area. He entered the station at 6:25 p.m. and carried out the attack less than 30 minutes later. Translated by The Japan Times
