TOKYO — Authorities in Japan have taken a 22-year-old South Korean student into custody following a hammer attack at Hosei University’s Tama campus in the western suburbs of Tokyo, which resulted in multiple injuries among peers.
According to the Tokyo metropolitan police, the assault occurred during a class on Friday, where the suspect reportedly struck a male student, causing him minor injuries. It’s reported by local sources that seven additional students also sustained slight injuries as the assailant allegedly continued to swing the hammer indiscriminately.
Local news reports indicate that the suspect expressed feelings of “frustration” when questioned by police, claiming she was ignored and bullied by classmates prior to the attack. She mentioned finding the hammer on the university campus before initiating the assault.
At the time of the incident, approximately 150 students were present in the classroom. Witnesses recounted that the assailant appeared to swing the hammer without a specific target, causing panic among students who rushed to flee the classroom. One student described her demeanor as expressionless, which added to the confusion of the moment.
The police are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack but have not released further information as of yet.
The historical context between Japan and Korea sometimes leads to discriminatory attitudes towards Koreans in Japan, rooted in the complex and painful legacy of Japan’s colonization of Korea that ended in 1945 following World War II.
Though major crimes in Japan are infrequent, there have been notable incidents of random violence in recent years, including stabbings. For instance, in December, an attack occurred at a fast-food restaurant in Kitakyushu, resulting in the fatal stabbing of a junior high school student and injuries to another individual. A man was subsequently arrested in connection to that event.
Moreover, in 2022, a grievous incident involved the stabbing of three individuals, two of whom were students heading to their entrance exams, outside the University of Tokyo. A 17-year-old was later apprehended and convicted for attempted murder related to that case.
