Daijiworld Media Network – Tokyo

Tokyo, May 9: In a chilling incident that shocked the city, a 43-year-old man was arrested for attempted murder after a knife attack near Tokyo's Todai-mae Station, in what he claims was a symbolic protest against harsh parenting practices.

According to Japanese media, the suspect, who remains unnamed, said he wanted to warn parents that excessive pressure on academic achievement can emotionally damage children. He reportedly targeted the station near the University of Tokyo commonly known as ‘Todai’ to make a statement against what he described as ‘educational abuse.’

The man allegedly slashed a passerby in his 20s on Wednesday, inflicting injuries to the head and other parts of the body. Police confirmed the attack was intentional, stating the suspect carried out the assault ‘with the intent to kill.’

During interrogation, the attacker said his own parents’ obsession with his academic performance led him to drop out of school and spiral into hardship. “I wanted to show all these parents trying to get their kids into Todai that if they go too hard on them, their kids can go reckless and become criminals like me,” he told investigators.

Reports noted that the victim and the attacker were strangers, and the assault was purely opportunistic. The incident has reignited concerns about mental health and the pressures of Japan’s competitive education system.

While Japan boasts one of the lowest murder rates globally, the rare stabbing rampages it witnesses often send shockwaves through the country. Just a day after this attack, two intruders entered a Tokyo primary school, injuring five staff members. In another unrelated incident, a 34-year-old man was arrested in Osaka for slashing another man, causing minor injuries.

Japan’s strict gun laws keep shootings rare, but the country has seen sporadic knife attacks, including the 2021 Halloween train incident and the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.