A man who murdered seven strangers in a busy Tokyo district by running over them with a truck or stabbing them with a combat knife was hanged today in Japan’s latest “secret” execution.
Tomohiro Kato, 39, carried out the carefully planned attack in 2008 in Akihabara, the electronics and gaming district. Three of his victims were hit by the truck and four were stabbed.
The attack, in which 10 others were injured, prompted new restrictions on knife ownership in a country where levels of violent crime are low by international standards.
“This is an extremely unfortunate incident not only for the victims whose lives were suddenly lost, but also for the grieving families,” said Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa, who announced the