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Stabbing Spree Shocks Tokyo's "Electric City"

Seven people are dead in Tokyo after a twenty-five year old man went on a rampage with a rented truck and a survival knife. The killer, Tomohiro Kato, struck in the Akihabara district, where tourists shop for the latest electronics and Japanese nerds visit arcades in manga inspired costumes. The neighborhood is known as the mecca for the obsessive anime and video game fandom known as "otaku" culture.

In the hours leading up to the attack, Kato wrote postings on an online messageboard that revealed his murderous intentions. The first post, written at 5:21 am Tokyo time warned:

I'll crash my vehicle into people and if the vehicle becomes useless, I'll get out a knife. Goodbye everyone.

Though Japan has a reputation as a relatively safe country, CNN notes that "stabbing attacks have become more frequent in Japan in recent years as violent crime has increased." Just three months ago a man killed one person and hurt at least seven others after going on a "slashing spree" outside a Japanese mall, and seven years to the day before Tomohiro Kato lost it in Akihabara, a man stabbed eight people at an elementary school on June 9, 2001.

It might be a good idea to bring along some chain mail if you're headed to Tokyo any time soon. You can tell the anime nerds in Akihabara that you're just joining in on the cosplay fun.

Related Stories:
· Tragedy Strikes Tokyo's Geeks [Times SA]
· Man on "Murder Mission" Stabs 17 in Tokyo [CNN]
· Japan Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Hunter Walker]