A man believed to be the suspect of a mass stabbing in Tama Ward, Kawasaki, was seen at a station near the scene of the attack four days before the incident, it has been learned.
The suspect, Ryuichi Iwasaki, 51, of Asao Ward, Kawasaki, committed suicide after stabbing 20 people, including Caritas Elementary School students, on May 28.
According to investigative sources, Iwasaki was at the station four days before the attack around the same time that pupils were waiting in line to board a school bus. The Kanagawa prefectural police suspect that Iwasaki visited the site for a preliminary inspection and are trying to trace the suspect's steps.
On the day of the attack, Iwasaki left home at around 7 a.m. and took an Odakyu Line train from his nearest station, Yomiuri-Land-mae. He got off at Noborito Station, three stops from Yomiuri-Land-mae, at around 7:35 a.m. He walked to the site of the attack and at around 7:40 a.m. stabbed children and others from behind using two knives. The police have confirmed the suspect's movements from footage captured by security cameras at the two stations.
According to investigative sources, on May 24, four days before the crime, security cameras captured footage of a man that is thought to be Iwasaki boarding a train at Yomiuri-Land-mae Station and alighting at Noborito Station. The man in the footage was not carrying any bags. He was wearing ordinary clothes, and, like Iwasaki on the day of the crime, had a buzz cut, according to the sources.
May 24 was the last regular school day before the incident. A sports festival was held at Caritas Elementary School on May 25, there were no classes on May 26 as it was a Sunday, and the following Monday was a school holiday.
The line for the school's bus can be up to 70 meters long at around 7:30 a.m. on weekdays. On May 24, pupils would have been waiting in line just as they were on the day of the incident. The police believe that Iwasaki knew from the preliminary inspection what the situation would be like at the location. The police believe that he planned the stabbing and are currently analyzing security cameras in surrounding locations.
During a search of Iwasaki's house, police found a calendar with memos indicating what they believe are days that he had gone out. While it is not known for certain whether the memos indicate days that he had actually gone out or days that he had scheduled to go out, the number of such memos increased in May. May 24 was also included in the memos. The police have not yet found evidence that Iwasaki used the same two stations at around the same time on days apart from May 24 and the day of the stabbing.
Iwasaki had been a social recluse for more than 10 years and tended to stay at home. In January, his aunt and others left a letter in front of his apartment as they were concerned about his welfare, but apparently Iwasaki responded angrily. In February, Iwasaki is thought to have bought two thin knives at a shop in Machida, western Tokyo. The police suspect that Iwasaki began preparations for the crime around that time.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
