This story broke over the last week and now we know more of the facts, I wanted to take a look at it and offer some fresh insights on it. This will not be a comedy post at all – this is a serious issue and it needs to be treated as such.
The Facts
At about 12:30 p.m. JST, the assailant attacked a crowd with his vehicle, running over three people, then stabbing at least 17 people using a dagger (initially erroneously reported as a survival knife), killing seven people.
This is lifted from the Wikipedia article, which uses various news sources as references. Whilst I am aware it’s not professional to use Wikipedia I am going to in this case as it does give a good general overview of the facts.
The assailant, Tomohiro Kato, posted messages on an internet forum stating things like “I’m going to kill people in Akihabara” and so on.
Blog Response
7:10 To Tokyo posted this update quite soon after the news broke (explaining why the title is ‘5 dead’ not 7) and was originally the best article I could find on the subject. He explained something I’d not heard of before called “Daredemo Yokatta attacks” which literally means ‘Anyone is good’ – the idea being the assailant had no particular targets and just wanted to kill randomly.
One part of the article in particular struck me;
I don’t fear becoming the victim of an attack most of the time here in Tokyo because I’m confident in my ability to take care of myself. It’s like I told Spartancus one time on a crowded Tokyo train with a tense atmosphere, “If someone comes at me, he’d better have a lot of heart because I do.”
I wanted to post this again because it’s important – whilst we need to learn from the massacre and accept that Japan is not this amazing “100% safe” country, Japan should not plunge into a climate of fear.
It seems other people agree, too. A nice message and an excellent recap on what is one of the most horrific stories of the year.
My Opinion
How do you write a take on such a horrific event? I guess you look at the facts and try to draw what you can from it. So that’s what I’ve done here – if you think any of them are wrong please comment - I am very interested to see what people are making of this news story.
1. Whilst I agree 100% with 7:10 To Tokyo’s view that you shouldn’t live in fear of an attack, it seems that, with these Daredemo Yokatta attacks on the rise, something needs to be done. It seems impossible due to the nature of the attack – you can’t protect the victim, because you have no idea who the victim is going to be. So perhaps:
2. These internet threats, which have been posted more than once before attacks, need to be taken a lot more seriously. Sites like 2channel and so forth should have some sort of system for people to report posts they think could hold some darker meaning. I am aware this challenges the point of the anonymous posting feature 2channel offers, but it may be a necessary step.
3. That said, I’d hate for the net, or the sites, to get a reputation for housing killers. There are many more well-adjusted people out there – let’s not jump to conclusions.
4. I hope the Akihabara Massacre goes on to be remembered not as a tragic event but as something we can learn from – in every country in the world you need to be continually aware of who’s around you. Japan is not some overly safe country where nothing bad happens.
So there you go – I hope this article is useful. I want to spark some discussion, which is why I added my own opinions at the end. Please use the comments section of Japan Is Doomed if you’re interested – I will get back to you.
Possibly Related Content:
While the idea of an Internet comment monitoring system sounds good, I imagine it’d be pretty hard to implement seeing as the old formula of “Internet + Anonymity =A tendency for people to act moronically” is so true. Just jump on Xbox Live and play a random Halo match and it’s odds on that you’ll find someone who will claim they’re going to come to your house and kill you etc because you’re apparently cheating. As people know what they’re doing is anonymous many express the most shameful, loathsome sentiments (I imagine primarily for a taboo breaking thrill) for they realise there will be no repercussions. Differentiating such stupid, but crucially not necessarily violent people from people who seriously intend to act on their sentiments would be an impossible task.
In terms of the event itself, I think it is a great shame for foreign perceptions of Japan as many just see this and other anomalies such as the killing of a English girl working as a teacher abroad in Japan, and produce a opinion on Japan as a violent, dangerous country. As a person who is going to be living in Tokyo later this year, I have seen concern on the faces of both my parents and friends who think that I am putting myself in danger by going to Japan, this apparent great dangerous country. It’s sad that on the contrary Japan is in fact the opposite and such events like the murder of that young English girl or the recent killing a spree are, as I said, total anomalies. A statistic of stark contrast to say London in which knife crimes and murders seem to have a permanent place on British news each day. Unfortunately however, in international news only tragedies are reported on. It is a shame that your typical Englishman is unlikely to ever see reports on Japan as the safest country and the minuscule amount of crime that occurs in comparison to Western nations.
Greg Rawlins: Yeah – I had a similar thought when I was writing the idea in the first place – it’s so hard to spot the difference between genuine cries for attention / serious threats, and the maniacs who spend their time writing angry statements in capital letters.
I don’t know about the future of Akiba – I think it will always be a huge draw for foreigners and I think it will always be a popular Otaku/Counter-Culture place.
Indeed, I think anyone who is actually considering going to Akihabara wouldn’t be deterred by such events, for I would presume they would have some knowledge about Japan and would be aware of the low crime rate. However, in regard to your typical Joe Schmoe who would never want to go to Japan and is generally ignorant to Japanese affairs, these reports are detrimental to the country’s global image.
People tell me to careful while in Roppongi, but it now seems like Akihab is the place where you should be particularly mindful of other people and your possessions. However, from what I gather the majority of the crime stems from “Otaku Hunting” so I (hopefully) should not be a target. Regardless, it’s nice that a country still exists where a story like a man putting an ice cream in a post-box can still make the main news headline :)
http://www.dannychoo.com/adp/eng/392/Japan+postbox.html
You address an important issue here: Just how much fear, or at least caution, is warranted and just how much is media induced. The results of the 7:10 poll show that roughly 2/3 of the respondents don’t live with any fear of becoming the victim of such an attack. I’m sure there are various reasons for this result, not the least of which are the relatively low violent crime statistics here. These ‘daredemo yokatta’ attacks are a disturbing trend, however. There have been three major ones this year, so far. From a statistical point of view, there’s no real reason to believe you’ll be the victim of such an attack. But, more minor ‘daredemo yokatta’ stabbings and slashings happen more frequently. News stories reporting incidents where men slash random schoolgirls are fairly common. Still, however, the numbers are low enough that there’s no cause for panic.
However, there seems to be a lack of interest in addressing the issue of mental illnesses here, especially those that are induced by the pressures of society. Indeed, a local news/talk show reported today that Mr. Kato was forced to participate in various studies outside of school, like at juku (cram school). His academic results were said to be perfect, but at what price? So, the news does address these issues, but leaders are not keen on implementing any programs or changes that might be better for society in the long run. Not that everyone should be medicated immediately, but treatment of mental illness as a means of helping to improve society is an issue that really needs to be addressed here. Also, looking at societal influences that lead to mental illness is likely in everyone’s best interests. Ignoring such societal ills surely isn’t helping matters, and may be making them worse.
If I may, one more thing,
I don’t mind that you put the quote up there about my feeling confident in my ability to take care of myself most of the time, but the following sentences went on the state how, no matter how confident we are, we are vulnerable to surprise attacks. I’m saying this because I don’t want to seem like I was beating my chest. If I had been present during the killing spree, I might have been taken unaware… Who knows?
Greg Rawlins: I still maintain Roppongi is much more dangerous – I saw more than one fight break out whilst I was there.
billywest: Before I reply, I didn’t cut the rest of that paragraph out because I thought you were beating your chest or anything, I just like having short quotes where I can! :D Anyway, I’m going to follow this idea of pressures induced by society, simply because I don’t think it’s the right way to go. Even if they DID find something (and if they don’t, the media will) what exactly will they do? They can’t just make an announcement; “Dear citizens, please don’t do this / act like this / consider this a social faux pas anymore”.
Mike, it’s not about any group or governmental body making a magic announcement; Come on, be a little creative here. You have people being worked to death (karoshi). You have insane numbers of kids being forced to attend jukus (cram schools) or English conversation schools by their parents and having very little time to be, well, kids. At the adult level, you have highly talented young people working life-draining amounts of overtime often while being stifled by superiors who’ve earned their positions not necessarily because of ability, but time put into the company. And a lot of fathers spend little or no time with their families because of late hours or frequent transfers to various parts of the country.
There’s no simple solution, but a change in attitudes and more forward thinking will bring about more open-mindedness about mental illness and the factors that cause it. Every society should be concerned with these issues. And, to be fair, things have been slowly changing here. Families are starting to be seen as more important than work by many younger men. Also, companies are starting to rethink their policies regarding excessive unpaid overtime, and even the competition to enter high-level universities is not as stiff as it was a few years ago due to the declining birthrate. Hopefully, in the near future, those jukus that make tons of money each year by convincing parents that their kids will fall behind if they don’t spend 2 – 4 extra hours outside of school each day in another school, will start to go out of business.
billywest: I agree that change would be a welcome thing, but what exactly do you suggest? I mean, it’s not really logical to say ‘Just copy America!’ because that’s what they did with the education system, which is in shambles right now. You can’t just “convince parents” of things and expect the changes to happen with 100% success.
I think a better approach would be to bring things out into the public forum – rather than instructing the Japanese public to change, the government needs to support those who do. Certain businesses these days forbid their employees to work rediculous hours – perhaps schools could start refusing students who attent Jukus, or something.
Right, Mike. More open public forums and discussions of the issues on a large level are what’s needed. In no way, should copying America, or any other country for that matter, be advocated.
Of course, change that’s in line with Japanese culture, customs, and values is what’s needed. So, there’s no real need for outside influence anyway. The problems I’ve listed are ones that many Japanese people are concerned about. I would not be arrogant enough to believe I had the solution, or could even come up with one. What frustrates me is seeing so many people here concerned about such issues, but not even thinking a little bit about how to effect any kind of change. That along with the old men who are leading people in all areas of government preaching that things shouldn’t change and there should actually be a reversion to the so-called good old days.
billywest: One thing I’d like to see is the return of Home Economics classes to Japanese High Schools. Back in the 80s, all students were taught how to cook, look after kids, balance finances and so on. Now they aren’t, despite it being hugely effective and successful, simply because other countries don’t have those mandatory subjects. Such a shame.
Too sad! I agree that these internet posts should be taken seriously…every time. Even if a bunch of people just start posting crap like that to get attention, they should always be reported and investigated. I’d be curious to know the rate of increase in Japan’s crime rate. I know it really getting higher, but I’d like to know the spread of things. This is awful.
Well, not that I’m an expert on these things but I partly agree with billywest that mental illness is an issue that needs to be seriously address. While I don’t necessarily agree with the causes that he has expressed I do agree that the taboo on mental ilness as well as a societal pressure to hide such ilness is a huge factor in contributing to these “attacks.” There definatly needs to be a more open approach, coupled with a serious effort by the goverment/NGO’s to set up some form of help for people who are suffering, often in silence in Japan.
However, after hearing about the latest set of attacks on young men in London it seems like it is definately not only Japan that is suffereing from these crimes. We should not be implying that our “western values and ways” are better than those of those in Japan.
The scary thing is that we could be caught up in one of these attacks wherever we are. Getting run over by a track unexpectedly is not something you can fight against either.
PS I also dont think that by abolishing the pedestrianised area of Akihabara will stop this happening again- a severe case of “shit we have to do something” syndrome the Tokyo goverment I fear…
Lynsey: Reguarding the last part of your comment, I actually sighed when I read they’d shut down pedestrian paradise. It’s a useless, quickly put together and rushed plan… pretty spot on for the government. :(
One final thing I’d like to say (a little late, I know) is that in no way would I ever compare “Eastern” and “Western” values. And, nobody can deny that society in Japan runs smoothly for the most part, so implying that so-called western values are better is just ridiculous. As a westerner, having an opinion about the way things are in eastern countries often draws a lot of criticism, especially from other westerners. I focus on Japan problems not because I think my home country is better than Japan; it’s because I live in Japan and love it here. It hurts my head to think of the numerous problems with my home country and wouldn’t for a minute think things should be done exactly that way here.
billywest: A really nice way to end the debate :) Thanks – you have a pretty similar attitude to mine