Nagano Prefectural Police arrested 46-year-old Yusuke Yaguchi, an unemployed man from Nagano, on Sunday, after he was suspected of fatally stabbing one person and injuring two others near Nagano Station earlier in the week.
Yaguchi, who had been on the run since the incident on Wednesday, was apprehended at his home, where authorities also carried out a raid on his apartment complex. During questioning, Yaguchi remained silent.
The attack, which took place around 8:05 p.m. on Wednesday, appears to have been random, as Yaguchi did not know the victims. He is accused of stabbing a 46-year-old woman in the back at a bus stop near Nagano Station. Authorities reported that her injury is not life-threatening and is expected to heal within a week.
In the same attack, 49-year-old Hiroyoshi Maruyama, also from Nagano, was fatally stabbed in the chest and left shoulder. A 37-year-old man was seriously injured after being stabbed in the back. Investigators are working to determine whether Yaguchi is responsible for the murder of Maruyama and the attempted murder of the other victims.
One of the stab wounds on Maruyama was found to have pierced his heart, with no defensive wounds on his body, suggesting he was caught by surprise. Witnesses described seeing the suspect holding a long knife before stabbing the victims and then fleeing the scene on foot. It’s believed the suspect was looking for additional targets before escaping.
Police released security camera footage of the suspect, showing a man with glasses, a jumper, and a white cloth over his head and white gloves. This led to an increase in police presence throughout Nagano, with local schools even advising parents to accompany their children to school for safety.
The stabbing incident in Nagano adds to a disturbing trend of similar attacks across Japan. In December, a junior high school girl was fatally stabbed at a McDonald’s in Kitakyushu, and a woman in her 70s was stabbed at Sannomiya Station in Kobe. Authorities are investigating if there is a connection between these incidents.