Tokyo, Japan:
An incident at a university in Tokyo on Friday left eight people injured in a hammer attack, leading to the arrest of a 22-year-old student at the scene, as reported by Japanese media.
All the individuals injured were conscious, according to sources from the police cited by public broadcaster NHK. The attack occurred in the afternoon at Hosei University’s Tama Campus.
The assailant, identified as a female sociology student, reportedly used a hammer during a class, causing injuries to multiple individuals. Witnesses observed people bleeding from head wounds, with the attacker expressing frustrations of being ignored.
Authorities have not confirmed specific details to AFP regarding this rare act of violence in Japan, a country known for its stringent gun control laws.
Live footage aired by NHK depicted a scene of emergency vehicles with flashing lights at the campus located in the suburban Machida district of Tokyo.
Although Japan experiences occasional stabbings and shootings, such incidents are infrequent due to strict regulations. Notably, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022.
Hosei University, established in 1880 as a law school, comprises 15 faculties according to its official website.
In a separate incident in December, a junior high school student was fatally stabbed and another wounded at a McDonald’s outlet in southwestern Japan, leading to the arrest of a suspect.
The attack occurred as the teens were in line to order at the restaurant in Kitakyushu. The perpetrator entered the establishment and carried out the stabbing, resulting in injuries to the victims.
In January 2022, three individuals were stabbed outside the prestigious University of Tokyo prior to nationwide college entrance exams. The victims included a teenage boy, a girl, and an elderly man, with the assailant apprehended at the scene.
The teenage perpetrator, who was not taking the exams and had no connection to the victims, expressed a desire to die after causing the incident due to academic struggles, as reported by NHK.
While the teenagers sustained non-life-threatening injuries, the elderly man suffered severe wounds. Despite the incident, the university proceeded with the scheduled exams for its 3,700 students.
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