TOKYO — 2008 · Major Tragedy
The Akihabara Massacre
Around midday on Sunday 8 June 2008, in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district, whose streets were closed to traffic for pedestrians, a 25-year-old man drove a rented truck into the crowd and then got out and attacked people with a knife. Seven people were killed and ten injured. He was arrested at the scene, and it emerged that he had announced his intentions on internet forums beforehand. He was sentenced to death in 2011, the sentence was finalised by the Supreme Court in 2015, and he was executed on 26 July 2022. The attack prompted lasting debate in Japan about precarious employment and social isolation, and the pedestrian-zone Sundays were suspended for a time.
- Date
- 2008
- Place
- Akihabara, Chiyoda, Tokyo, JP
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 35.6980, 139.7710 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 8 June 2008The attack killed 7 and injured 10; the perpetrator was caught.
- 24 March 2011The Tokyo District Court imposed the death penalty.
- 2 February 2015The Supreme Court upheld the sentence.
- 26 July 2022The perpetrator was executed at the Tokyo Detention House.
Sources
- Wikipedia — 2008 Akihabara massacre en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Al Jazeera — Japan executes man over 2008 stabbing rampage aljazeera.com ↗
- ABC News — Japan hangs man convicted of Akihabara massacre abc.net.au ↗
- Wikipedia (EN)
- Al Jazeera
- ABC News (Australia)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from Tokyo
More cases from the 2000s
Categories
Collections
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.