Japanese attacker foretold his mayhem in online threats

Published 10:53 pm Monday, June 9, 2008

TOKYO — As mourners piled Japanese comics, flowers and other mementoes at the scene of a deadly stabbing rampage, details emerged Monday about the alleged attacker’s Internet posting that said he intended to kill people in the Akihabara district, the heart of Tokyo’s comic book and youth culture.

Meanwhile, the government Monday sought to impose tighter controls over large knives and provide better security in public places.

Tomohiro Kato, 25, a temporary worker at a factory outside Tokyo, was splattered with blood when he was arrested Sunday during the lunchtime attack in the crowded shopping district.

Police say Kato rammed a rented two-ton truck into a crowd of shoppers, then jumped out and began stabbing victims. Three people were killed by the truck’s impact, and four died from being stabbed.

“It’s unbelievable that things like this are happening in our country,” said 19-year-old Tsutsumo Hirano, who attended high school with one of the victims, paying respects at the makeshift memorial.

On Monday, Internet sites and the media carried a series of messages posted on an electronic bulletin board in the hours before the attack.

National broadcaster NHK said Kato posted messages under a thread titled, “I will kill people in Akihabara,” and wrote: “I want to crash the vehicle and, if it becomes useless, I will then use a knife. Goodbye, everyone.”

According to the NHK report, another message was sent from Akihabara by cell phone that read: “It’s time,” just 20 minutes before the truck hit the first pedestrians.

Authorities confirmed that Kato had posted messages, but did not release details.

There were signs of trouble in Kato’s life. Last week, he lost his temper at the factory where he worked in Shizuoka, about 100 miles southwest of Tokyo, said company executive Osamu Namai.

“He was screaming that his uniform was missing. When his colleague got a new uniform for him, he had already left and never returned,” Namai said.

Government officials scrambled to respond to Sunday’s attack. In an emergency meeting, the ruling coalition considered limiting access to knives like the one used in the stabbing, which had a 5-inch blade.

“Obviously, the suspect possessed the knife without a legitimate reason,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said. “I think we have to seriously consider what we can do to step up the restrictions.”