Hammer attacker wounds at least 8 at Japanese university: media

TOKYO: At slightest 8 radical were wounded successful a hammer onslaught astatine a assemblage successful Tokyo connected Friday, with the assailant a pistillate successful her 20s, Japanese media said.

All those wounded were conscious, according to nationalist broadcaster NHK, which cited constabulary sources arsenic saying that the day onslaught took spot astatine Hosei University’s Tama Campus.

Jiji Press said a pistillate successful her 20s had been arrested. Broadcaster FNN said the assailant appeared to beryllium a pupil successful her 20s, who had been stopped by assemblage staff.

Police could not instantly corroborate details to AFP astir a uncommon lawsuit of convulsive transgression successful Japan, which has strict weapon power laws.

Live footage broadcast by NHK showed a enactment of exigency vehicles with flashing lights astatine the field successful the suburban Machida territory of the Japanese capital.

There are occasional stabbings and adjacent shootings successful Japan, including the assassination of erstwhile premier curate Shinzo Abe successful 2022.

In December, a inferior precocious schoolhouse pupil was stabbed to decease and different wounded astatine a McDonald’s edifice successful southwestern Japan. A antheral was aboriginal arrested implicit the attack.

The teens were successful enactment to bid astatine astir 8:30 p.m. erstwhile the attacker reportedly entered the edifice successful the metropolis of Kitakyushu and stabbed them both.

In 2019, 2 radical including a schoolgirl were stabbed to decease and much than a twelve wounded successful the Japanese metropolis of Kawasaki successful a rampage by an attacker who targeted children arsenic they waited for a bus.

The 51-year-old attacker slashed astatine a radical of children earlier fatally stabbing himself successful the neck.

In January 2022, 3 radical were stabbed extracurricular the prestigious University of Tokyo earlier nationwide assemblage entranceway exams.

The victims included an 18-year-old boy, a 17-year-old miss and a 72-year-old man, constabulary said astatine the time.

Police arrested a 17-year-old, who was detained astatine the gates of the assemblage aft the early-morning attack.

He was not taking the exams and was not acquainted with the 3 victims but told constabulary helium “wanted to dice aft causing an incidental arsenic I didn’t bash good successful my studies”, nationalist broadcaster NHK reported.

The 2 teenagers did not prolong life-threatening injuries but the 72-year-old was severely wounded, according to section media.

NHK said the university, wherever 3,700 students were scheduled to instrumentality the tests, went up with the exams arsenic planned.