Sagamihara stabbings

Sagamihara stabbings
Location Midori Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates 35°36′49″N 139°12′47″E / 35.61361°N 139.21306°E / 35.61361; 139.21306
Date 26 July 2016 (2016-07-26)
02:30 – 03:00 (UTC+09:00)
Target Tsukui Yamayuri En care facility
Attack type
 Mass stabbing, mass murder
Weapons Knives
Deaths 19
Non-fatal injuries
 26 (13 severe)[1]
Suspected perpetrator
 Satoshi Uematsu[2]
Motive Purging of disabled people

The Sagamihara stabbings were committed on 26 July 2016 in Midori Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. 19 people were killed and 26 others were injured, 13 severely, at a disabled care home.[1][3] The suspect was a 26-year-old man, identified as Satoshi Uematsu (植松 聖 Uematsu Satoshi). He was a former employee of the care facility.[4] He surrendered at a nearby police station with a bag of knives, and was subsequently arrested.[2][3][5] The attack was described as one of the worst crimes committed on Japanese soil in modern history.[4]

Location

Tsukui Yamayuri En
Location of Tsukui Yamayuri En within Kanagawa Prefecture

Tsukui Lily Garden (津久井やまゆり園 Tsukui Yamayuri En) is a residential care center run by Kanagawa Kyodokai (社会福祉法人かながわ共同会 Shakai Fukushi Hōjin Kanagawa Kyōdōkai), a social welfare organization.[6] Established by the local government, the facility was built in a 30,890 square metres (7.63 acres) area of woodland on the bank of the Sagami River.[7][8] As of the end of April, the facility housed 149 residents between the ages of 19 and 75, all of whom were mentally disabled but many with various physical disabilities as well. Some are capable of engaging in physical activities outdoors, while others are bedridden.[4][8][9][10] The facility is located in a remote location about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Sagamiko Station on the Chūō Main Line.[11]

Attack

At about 02:10, Satoshi Uematsu allegedly used a hammer to break into the care center through a glass window on the first floor. He tied up a staff member, took their keys, and then went from room to room, stabbing the victims in their necks as they slept.[4][12] Police were called to the care center by staff members at around 02:30 local time, reporting a man with a knife breaking into the building. However, Uematsu left the premises before being apprehended; he was recorded leaving the facility at 02:50 in security camera footage.[13]

Armed police entered the building at around 03:00 where they discovered the crime scene.[2] Twenty-nine ambulances were sent to the facility.[14] The suspect turned himself in at the Tsukui Police Station two hours after the incident with a bag containing kitchen knives and other bloodstained sharp tools.[3][8] A knife was reportedly found in his car outside the police station.[12]

Uematsu allegedly killed ten women and nine men aged between 18 and 70[4] and injured 26 more, 13 severely.[1][3][7][15][16]

Suspect

Satoshi Uematsu (植松 聖 Uematsu Satoshi) is a 26-year-old male and a former employee of care home Tsukui Yamayuri En.[2][17] His father was an elementary school art teacher, and Uematsu had trained and worked as an elementary school teacher as well. He had lived in his house with his parents, but they moved away at some point and he remained there alone.[18] He resigned from working at the facility in February 2016 after having been employed there for over three years.[19]

Neighbors expressed surprise that he had allegedly committed the murders; he was described as friendly, outgoing and a good teacher. However, some reported that his personality had undergone a change at some point during his employment at the facility.[20][21][22]

Letter and statements

In February 2016, Uematsu attempted to hand-deliver a letter to Tadamori Oshima, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, at Oshima's home in Tokyo but was prevented from doing so by security. He returned the following day and this time left the letter with the security guards.[20] Uematsu's letter appealed for the legalization of ending the lives of those with multiple disabilities in cases where it was requested by their guardians, and asked for Oshima's assistance in delivering his message to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In it, he wrote, "I envision a world where a person with multiple disabilities can be euthanised, with an agreement from the guardians, when it is difficult for the person to carry out household and social activities."[23] He also wrote that the killings of the disabled would be "for the sake of Japan and world peace" as well as to benefit the global economy and prevent World War III.[2][24]

After signing his name, the letter proceeded to detail an offer to target two facilities housing the disabled (possibly a reference to the two residential buildings in which he later committed the crime), and went on to appeal for certain conditions in exchange for committing the act. In the first half of the message, Uematsu said he could eliminate 460 people; however, in the second half, the number he gave was 260. He added that staff would be tied up to keep them from interfering but that they would not be harmed, the act would be swift, and that afterwards he would turn himself in. At the end of the latter half of the letter, he signed his name again, this time with his address, telephone number, and the name of his employer.[24]

At some point, the letter was handed over to Tokyo police, who contacted the police in Sagamihara. During this time frame, Uematsu posted to his Twitter account that he expected he might be arrested.[21] He had previously posted tweets about Japan being ravaged by radiation poisoning and AIDS.[25]

Later that month, after his letter was brought to the attention of Sagamihara's authorities, he was in fact arrested, detained, questioned, and then involuntarily committed to a mental hospital for two weeks.[26] However, he was released on 2 March after doctors deemed that he was not a threat.[8][27][28][29][30]

In his letter and in statements made after turning himself in, Uematsu explained that he was "saving" from unhappiness both the severely disabled and those who he believed were burdened with maintaining their lives.[24][26]

Reactions

Yoshihide Suga, the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary, acknowledged that the attack was "a very heart-wrenching and shocking incident in which many innocent people became victims."[2][7] He also said that the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare would investigate ways to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.[1]

A number of Japanese news outlets ran editorials calling the stabbings a hate crime.[31][32][33][34] By September 2016, little information had been released about the victims of the attack. Reuters wrote that this was due to Japanese culture being less accepting of physically and cognitively impaired persons.[35]

2016 September 13,Yuji Kuroiwa,The governor of Kanagawa prefecture, said will rebuild all of architects and structures in the facility.[36]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Grinberg, Emanuella (25 July 2016). "Japan knife attack: At least 19 dead". CNN. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Japan Sagamihara knife attack: At least 19 dead, reports say". BBC News. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "19 killed, 45 injured as knife-wielding man goes on rampage at medical facility near Tokyo". Russia: RT. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 McCurry, Justin (25 July 2016). "Japan knife attack: 19 killed and dozens wounded in stabbing". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "At least 15 killed, dozens injured in knifing near Tokyo". Associated Press. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Care facility staffers express concern over security following Kanagawa stabbing". The Japan Times. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 Mallard, William; Beech, Eric; Herskovitz, Jon (25 July 2016). "Nineteen feared dead after knife attack in Japan: media reports". Reuters. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Woolf, Nicky (25 July 2016). "Japan attack: suspect turns himself in after 19 killed in stabbing – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "Stabbing spree in Japan leaves at least 19 dead". Nikkei Asian Review. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Fifield, Anna (25 July 2016). "19 people reported dead in knife attack in Japan". The Washington Post.
  11. ↑ "「津久井やまゆり園」とは？ 元職員が入所者を刺し19人死亡" [The "Tsukui lily garden"? 19 deaths original staff stabbed residents]. Huffington Post Japan. 25 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  12. 1 2 Fifield, Anna (25 July 2016). "Suspect arrested after knife attack outside Tokyo leaves at least 15 dead and 26 injured". National Post. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Howes, Scarlet (25 June 2016). "JAPAN KNIFE RAMPAGE First picture of ex-employee who killed 19 and injured 45 at care home". The Sun. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Man arrested after killing 15 and wounding 45 in knife attack at Kanagawa care facility". Japan Times. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Rich, Motoko (25 July 2016). "At Least 15 Are Killed in Knife Attack Near Tokyo". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  16. ↑ "At least 15 people reported dead in knife attack in Japan". The Washington Post. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  17. ↑ Phillips, Jack (25 July 2016). "Japan Stabbing Attack: 19 Dead, More Than 20 Injured in Sagamihara". The Epoch Times. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "Ex-employee stabs 19 people to death in Japan care home". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera Media Network. July 26, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  19. ↑ Warnock, Eleanor; Obe, Mitsuru (26 July 2016). "Mass Killing in Japan Shocks a Gentle Nation". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  20. 1 2 Rich, Motoko (25 July 2016). "Japan Knife Attack Kills 19 at Center for Disabled". The New York Times.
  21. 1 2 "Japan knife attack: Who is suspect Satoshi Uematsu?". BBC. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  22. ↑ Connor, Neil (26 July 2016). "Japan knife attack suspect said 'disabled people should be euthanised,' before killing 19". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  23. ↑ McCurry, Justin (26 July 2016). "Japan care home attack: picture emerges of modest man with horrifying vision". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 "Letter by man accused of mass stabbings carried eerie warning". Asahi Shimbun. Associated Press. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  25. ↑ Lies, Elaine; Ha, Kwiyeon (26 July 2016). "Shock as peaceful Japanese town wakes to 'unthinkable' disabled center horror". Reuters. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  26. 1 2 "Suspect in Sagamihara care facility mass murder says he has 'no remorse'". The Japan Times. 27 July 2016.
  27. ↑ "Tokyo knifeman kills nearly two dozen". The Sydney Morning Herald. Associated Press. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  28. ↑ "Neighbors describe alleged stabber at facility for disabled as 'cheerful'" (in Japanese). The Mainichi. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  29. ↑ "Sagamihara knife attack / Neighbors, families express fear, shock". The Japan News. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  30. ↑ Pascaline, Mary (26 July 2016). "Japan Knife Attack: Several Dead, Scores Injured At Care Center In West Tokyo". International Business Times. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  31. ↑ "社説[障がい者施設殺傷]兆候は幾つも出ていた". Okinawa Times. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016. (Japanese)
  32. ↑ "相模原の障害者施設殺傷 - 識者の見方". Mainichi Shimbun. 27 July 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016. (Japanese)
  33. ↑ "【相模原１９人刺殺】 憎悪と計画性、浮かぶ異様さ". Sankei Shimbun. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016. (Japanese)
  34. ↑ "Ｌｉｓｔｅｎｉｎｇ ＜記者の目＞相模原殺傷事件＝須藤孝（政治部）". Mainichi Shimbun. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016. (Japanese)
  35. ↑ Ha, Kwiyeon; Sieg, Linda (16 September 2016). "FEATURE: Japan confronts disability stigma after attack". Taipei Times. Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  36. ↑ やまゆり園建て替えへ　再生に向け本格始動
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