Hiroshi Zoda

Overview

Hiroshi Zoda, 23, attacked people at random on a Tokyo street with a knife and a hammer. He was later identified by police as the assailant who killed two women and injured six other passers-by.

The offence

Police said Hiroshi Zoda was frustrated that he could not find a job and attacked people at random. A police spokesman said the man was also armed with a hammer. He used a knife and a hammer during the assaults.

The attacks took place around 11:40 a.m. on a main road in the Ikebukuro area of Toshima Ward in Tokyo, on a route from JR Ikebukuro Station toward the Sunshine 60 skyscraper. The packed shopping street was thrown into chaos as people ran for cover. Shoppers ran into nearby shops seeking refuge, according to witnesses. Passersby panicked, causing mass confusion.

Victims and injuries

Kazuko Sumiyoshi, 66, was stabbed in the heart and died immediately. Mami Takahashi, 29, was stabbed in the back and died later. Six other victims were hospitalized, with one reported in serious condition and others reported suffering minor injuries.

The remaining victims were identified as:

• Kenta Hori, 15, of Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward (minor injuries)
• Yojiro Kawamata, 15, of Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward (minor injuries)
• Kohei Amakusa, 16, of Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture (minor injuries)
• Shinichi Kitamura, 45, of Tokyo’s Nerima Ward (minor injuries)
• Tomoko Sasamoto, 52, of Tokyo’s Nerima Ward (minor injuries)
• Tadashi Sumiyoshi, 71, who was reported in serious condition from stab wounds

Kenta Hori described what happened to him: “A man ran up from behind, hit me, then ran away at top speed. I thought he was a shoplifter,” he said. “But people around me said my T-shirt was torn, and I went to feel with my hand and found that I was bleeding.”

Attack route and actions

Zoda reportedly told police he bought both the knife and hammer used in the crime from the Ikebukuro branch of Tokyu Hands on Monday.

At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of the hammer. A knife with a broken tip was found on the street nearby, roughly 100 meters west of the Tokyu Hands shop.

Police said Zoda first positioned himself close to an escalator near the entrance to Tokyu Hands. He struck his first victim, a man, on the back of the head with the hammer. Police said he then proceeded to stab two other people who were speaking on cellular phones nearby. Police said he then headed westward, knife in hand, assaulting others as he ran down the street.

Two men subdued him as he approached the rotary near the east exit of Ikebukuro Station. One of the two men said: “(The suspect) was brandishing the knife as he ran and stabbed a person in front of him. It was really scary.”

A clerk at a nearby sewing machine store said: “I cannot believe such an incident happened in the middle of the day,” according to the report.

A female store clerk said: “A man with a hammer was stumbling (down the street) and hitting pedestrians one after another,” and “At first, I had no idea what was going on. But soon I found these people's clothes were torn and they were bleeding.”

Investigation and police actions

Hundreds of people gathered at the scene near a busy train station. NHK, the state-run broadcaster, interrupted regular programming to report the attacks.

According to the National Police Agency, there had been 50 murders and attempted murders stemming from arbitrary stabbing incidents since 1989, with suspects apprehended in 47 cases. The highest number of cases in a year was recorded in 1996 with 11, followed by 10 in 1998. The agency said three such stabbing incidents had been reported so far this year before Wednesday’s attack.

Arrest and identification

The man was quickly subdued by passersby and turned over to police. He was later identified as 23-year-old Hiroshi Zoda. A knife with a broken tip was found on the street nearby.

Trial, sentencing, and outcome

Hiroshi Zoda was sentenced to death.

Aftermath

A report described Zoda as apologizing to his victims and their families. “I am sorry for what I did,” Hiroshi Zota, 23, was quoted as saying.

Names and places mentioned

• Hiroshi Zoda (suspect)
• Kazuko Sumiyoshi, 66 (victim)
• Mami Takahashi, 29 (victim)
• Tadashi Sumiyoshi, 71 (victim)
• Kenta Hori, 15 (victim)
• Yojiro Kawamata, 15 (victim)
• Kohei Amakusa, 16 (victim)
• Shinichi Kitamura, 45 (victim)
• Tomoko Sasamoto, 52 (victim)
• Ikebukuro Station (nearby station)
• Toshima Ward (Tokyo)
• Sunshine 60 (skyscraper)
• Tokyu Hands (Ikebukuro branch)
• Musashi High School in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward (Kenta Hori was a first-year student)
• Adachi Ward (Kazuko Sumiyoshi’s ward)
• Nerima Ward (Mami Takahashi and Shinichi Kitamura’s ward; also where Kenta Hori’s school was located)
• Setagaya Ward (Yojiro Kawamata’s ward)
• Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture (Kohei Amakusa’s location)
• Tokyo’s Nerima Ward (Tomoko Sasamoto’s location and Mami Takahashi’s location)