Mass Stabbing in Japan

[Rezzy]

19 people were killed and 26 injured at a facility for the disabled west of Tokyo, Japan. http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/25/world/japan-knife-attack-deaths/index.html

It's chilling to hear of things like this happening. I've done work in similar facilities, and these are meant to be places of healing and comfort, not death.

[Water Mage]

Man, this week was though, there was those two incidents in Germany, another shooting at Florida, this mass stabbing in Japan, and I believe there was a suicide attack in Israel? I didn't get the details of that last one.

Back on the mass stabbing subject,

Apparently, the criminal was trying to make disabled people disappear from the world.

Ironically, he's probably gonna end up locked up with the disabled people he tried to get rid off.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Water Mage

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

Man, this week was though, there was those two incidents in Germany, another shooting at Florida, this mass stabbing in Japan, and I believe there was a suicide attack in Israel? I didn't get the details of that last one.

Back on the mass stabbing subject,

Apparently, the criminal was trying to make disabled people disappear from the world.

Ironically, he's probably gonna end up locked up with the disabled people he tried to get rid off.

i'd separate the guy from the disabled actually, so he won't kill anymore.

[Water Mage]

i'd separate the guy from the disabled actually, so he won't kill anymore.

What I meant to say, he's probably gonna end up locked in the same kind of facility as the one he attacked.

And will be considered by many a "disabled person".

[Moblin Major General]

Being disabled myself, I find this appalling and abhorrent. The disabled don't deserve to die because society tells them not to work. Killing innocent people is one thing, but killing the defenseless is a whole other level of evil.

[BrightBow]

This is so utterly horrifying that it is downright surreal. Like, I can wrap my had around someone murdering people belonging to a group that they learned to hate and fear. God knows there is no lack of scumbags who try their hardest to accuse minorities of plotting to destroy civilisation. But how could one develop that kind of hatred towards the disabled, to the point where that person could murder dozens of people one by one like that? I mean I would think that it's hard to create a conspiracy theory were the disabled are the evil masterminds.

Edited July 26, 2016 by BrightBow

[Rezzy]

This seems utterly surreal. Like, I can wrap my had around someone murdering people belonging to a group that they learned to hate and fear. God knows there is no lack of scumbags who try their hardest to accuse minorities of plotting to destroy civilisation. But how could one develop that kind of hatred towards the disabled, to the point where that person could murder dozens of people one by one like that? I mean I would think that it's hard to create a conspiracy theory were the disabled are the evil masterminds.

Historically, it has precedent. Some people view them as a detriment to society, and are often the first to go in eugenics campaigns.

It saddens me, as I have many patients that have disabilities of all types, whether physical or mental.

[BrightBow]

Historically, it has precedent. Some people view them as a detriment to society, and are often the first to go in eugenics campaigns.

It saddens me, as I have many patients that have disabilities of all types, whether physical or mental.

Sure, I'm aware of that. But I would have expected that someone who follows such a line of thinking would resort to a more indirect method of murder, like a bomb or a gun or whatever. Not such a slow and messy method. Thinking that a group of people should disappear is one thing. But that a human being would be able to stomach such cruelty puts this one a whole other level of horror. I mean, even drone pilots tend to develop PTSD as a result of the killing that they have to do.

Edited July 26, 2016 by BrightBow

[Samias]

From some anecdotes I read online, mental health care workers in Japan don't really get that much support at their jobs to care for the most vulnerable patients. In fact most Japanese people overwork themselves from a strict social hierarchy within the workplace that causes workers to neglect their own health for the sake of looking good to superiors. From what I know of mental care facilities and a recent but gut wrenching personal story from a friend, the mentally ill in particular can be cruel and abusive especially as they go through schizophrenia or aggressive forms of dementia/Alzheimer's. I guess this particular worker had the job wear him down so far that he snapped. Mental health care is truly brutal on those administering treatment and can lead to PTSD from the many incidents that crop up.

I do not feel sympathetic for the killer but it is a rough job. Unfortunately some lived ones senselessly lost their lives. Japan and other countries should be more vigilant in screening the mental health of their own workers, but there is rarely room in the budget to do anything.

[Excellen Browning]

Sure, I'm aware of that. But I would have expected that someone who follows such a line of thinking would resort to a more indirect method of murder, like a bomb or a gun or whatever. Not such a slow and messy method. Thinking that a group of people should disappear is one thing. But that a human being would be able to stomach such cruelty puts this one a whole other level of horror. I mean, even drone pilots tend to develop PTSD as a result of the killing that they have to do.

You'd be surprised how many Jews and others were shot as way of their execution during the Holocaust (also other mass killings). And yes, the people who did the shooting were known to consume massive amounts of alcohol as coping. It's strange to me as well, but evidence seems to indicate that it isn't strange at all.

[eclipse]

This is just. . .sad. I'm at a loss for words. I hope everyone gets the help they need - something tells me that not all of those who were killed died quietly in their sleep, and those who survived probably heard what was going on.

[Excellen Browning]

As far as I understand, the man stabbed 46 people and then turned himself in at a police station, all within an hour. I know its the graveyard shift and there's not much personnel around, but surely enough to hold a guy with a knife down? Because it doesn't seem they did anything to stop it going on.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Excellen Browning

[eclipse]

Depends on the layout of the facility, how the employees are stationed, etc. Can't really say without more info.

[Tangerine]

From some anecdotes I read online, mental health care workers in Japan don't really get that much support at their jobs to care for the most vulnerable patients. In fact most Japanese people overwork themselves from a strict social hierarchy within the workplace that causes workers to neglect their own health for the sake of looking good to superiors. From what I know of mental care facilities and a recent but gut wrenching personal story from a friend, the mentally ill in particular can be cruel and abusive especially as they go through schizophrenia or aggressive forms of dementia/Alzheimer's. I guess this particular worker had the job wear him down so far that he snapped. Mental health care is truly brutal on those administering treatment and can lead to PTSD from the many incidents that crop up.

I do not feel sympathetic for the killer but it is a rough job. Unfortunately some lived ones senselessly lost their lives. Japan and other countries should be more vigilant in screening the mental health of their own workers, but there is rarely room in the budget to do anything.

Yeah, I have multiple family members that work in facilities (mental health, retirement homes), there's usually a few stories per week about patients attacking their careworkers or eachother, trying to get people fired by saying they're abusing them etc. I can see how stressed said family members get on particularly bad weeks, you need to be someone special to work in an industry like that and maintain positivity - and on that note I agree that stricter screening is definitely something to look towards. How people deal with physical and mental stress over a long career in a volatile industry will always be a bit of a question mark on a per-person basis though.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Tangerine

[Water Mage]

So, some more new information were revealed:

The criminal, a 26 year old man called Satoshi Uematsu, actually sent a letter to the goverment, in Febrary, requesting that all disabled people to be put to death.

He said that he would kill 470 disabled people, calling it a revolution.

He outlined an attack on two facilities, after which he said he will turn himself in.

In the letter he asked he be judged innocent on grounds of insanity, be given $5 million in aid and plastic surgery so he could lead a normal life afterward.

The letter also said "My reasoning is that I may be able to revitalize the world economy and I thought it may be possible to prevent World War III".

It's also worth noting that he delivered this letter on his last day of work.

And it seems that he considered the killing an act of mercy.

[Augestein]

So, some more new information were revealed:

The criminal, a 26 year old man called Satoshi Uematsu, actually sent a letter to the goverment, in Febrary, requesting that all disabled people to be put to death.

He said that he would kill 470 disabled people, calling it a revolution.

He outlined an attack on two facilities, after which he said he will turn himself in.

In the letter he asked he be judged innocent on grounds of insanity, be given $5 million in aid and plastic surgery so he could lead a normal life afterward.

The letter also said "My reasoning is that I may be able to revitalize the world economy and I thought it may be possible to prevent World War III".

It's also worth noting that he delivered this letter on his last day of work.

And it seems that he considered the killing an act of mercy.

I don't know how Japan works, but why didn't they stop him beforehand then if they got this letter?

[Moblin Major General]

So, some more new information were revealed:

The criminal, a 26 year old man called Satoshi Uematsu, actually sent a letter to the goverment, in Febrary, requesting that all disabled people to be put to death.

He said that he would kill 470 disabled people, calling it a revolution.

He outlined an attack on two facilities, after which he said he will turn himself in.

In the letter he asked he be judged innocent on grounds of insanity, be given $5 million in aid and plastic surgery so he could lead a normal life afterward.

The letter also said "My reasoning is that I may be able to revitalize the world economy and I thought it may be possible to prevent World War III".

It's also worth noting that he delivered this letter on his last day of work.

And it seems that he considered the killing an act of mercy.

He doesn't deserve any of it. If this happened in America, not only would he have been arrested long before this was able to be carried out, if he had actually done it, he would be facing the needle. This isn't someone that's insane: he's the worst kind of person their is, ones that put Japan where it is now in the worst way possible. How dare he blame the people he was hired to care for. Then again, maybe he was fired for a reason after all.

[Magical CC]

He doesn't deserve any of it. If this happened in America, not only would he have been arrested long before this was able to be carried out, if he had actually done it, he would be facing the needle. This isn't someone that's insane: he's the worst kind of person their is, ones that put Japan where it is now in the worst way possible. How dare he blame the people he was hired to care for. Then again, maybe he was fired for a reason after all.

Dont make me laugh. The dude who did the gay bar attack was on the watch list for years. The FBI investigated Mateen in May 2013 after he made "inflammatory" remarks while working as a security guard. Mateen had told his coworkers that his family was linked to Al-Qaeda and that he had joined Hezbolla. He obtained firearms two weeks before the attack and nobody bat an eye.

And this dude will be on the pikachu chair for sure. I dont see any reason why you think he would escape being executed.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Magical CC

[eclipse]

And this dude will be on the pikachu chair for sure. I dont see any reason why you think he would escape being executed.

If you're going to be tasteless, at least do some research beforehand.

[Original Alear]

If you're going to be tasteless, at least do some research beforehand.

He's probably right, based on what I skimmed from what you linked to: prosecutors seek the death penalty routinely in the case of multiple murders, and it's handed down in 79% of cases where more than 3 murders are committed. This guy killed 19 people. For the record, 6 people is the max for people in the past who have been given the death penalty.

These are people who have killed more than that # who I found who were executed outside the from 2010 window.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamoru_Takuma#Trial_and_death

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara_massacre#Perpetrator

Also worth noting is that all of the main perpetrators in the Aum sarin gassing of the subways were sentenced to death (looks like one may still be in the appeals process). Some of their getaway drivers got off with life imprisonment, one received the death sentence.

Pretty much the only thing he doesn't have against him in accordance with sentencing guidelines is an apparent lack of a prior criminal record. And we don't know the sentiments of the family members. It seems unlikely he will show remorse given the letter he wrote.

Roughly 80% of Japan supported the death penalty in some instances in 2015. Given the nature of the crime, it seems unlikely that the family of the victims would be sympathetic towards him...

It's one thing to suggest someone should present research if their claims seem spurious, but I don't think it makes sense to tell someone to "do some research beforehand" and give them a link that supports their claim. The guy seems like he might have an argument for an insanity plea, I guess, and I'm not sure how often that's accepted in japanese courts, but most of the points listed as being considered in whether to sentence someone to death in the article you listed weigh against him. CC seems to have made a reasonable claim in expressing skepticism that the killer won't get the death penalty and be executed.

As far as I understand, the man stabbed 46 people and then turned himself in at a police station, all within an hour. I know its the graveyard shift and there's not much personnel around, but surely enough to hold a guy with a knife down? Because it doesn't seem they did anything to stop it going on.

I don't know the condition of the patients, but of the two times I've been in a hospital psych ward, only once were there a fairly large group of people with me. That time, many of them were fairly old, close to bedridden, and not that aware of what was going on around them. In addition, one of the articles stated that they were in locked rooms (that hasn't been allowed in the psych wards I've been in - in one, we didn't even have doors to open/close, and there were windows into the rooms). If he worked at the facility prior and was able to get in the rooms with a key, the staff might not have figured out all that quickly that people were being stabbed to death.

The staff did check on patients during the night, but they weren't doing it all that frequently for me and my roommates. Not sure if the older, less cognizant patients were being checked on more.

I guess we'll have to see if more information comes out about exactly what went on.

Edited July 28, 2016 by PP UP

[eclipse]

You missed the point. The death penalty is carried out by hanging, not by electric chair (and definitely not by Pokemon). Hence why it was tasteless.

[Magical CC]

He's probably right, based on what I skimmed from what you linked to: prosecutors seek the death penalty routinely in the case of multiple murders, and it's handed down in 79% of cases where more than 3 murders are committed. This guy killed 19 people. For the record, 6 people is the max for people in the past who have been given the death penalty.

Nah, Eclipse means that Japan government doesnt use electric chair to execute the convicted .

Edited July 28, 2016 by Magical CC

[Excellen Browning]

One other thing to consider is how the Japanese judiciary deals with insanity and related pleas.

[Sylphid]

I read a rather... Interesting but grim article in relation to this (I can source it, but it's in Finnish).

In short, a professor on Japanese culture was relating this sad incident to Japanese "embarrassment culture" (not sure about English term, that's direct transliteration of the Finnish word). Before I go further into it, I want to point out that any mention of this particular incident would be speculative as he hadn't looked into it more than what the news had covered.

The basic point was that the Japanese tend to hide anything that deviates from what's generally perceived as "normal", in this particular case disabilities (he went on to give couple of personal experiences about this). This is done to such extent that working with these "not normal" things is also expected to be kept hidden. The point being that if a worker at such facility was stressed or found the job uncomfortable or whatever, he wouldn't have been able to talk about it and in the end it could culminate in something like this (and with this cultural background, the sick idea of mercy killing them might not be that foreign to him).

Also of interesting notion was that faculties such nursing homes are a very new thing in Japan ("they've only started building nursing homes recently"). They could easily be lacking experience in hiring people suitable for the job.

Does this make this crime any less horrible? No, but it does give some insight into what might have been going on in the perpetrator's head and the generally unhealthy way in which disabled people (and many others) are viewed in japan.

[HF Makalov Fanboy Kai]

i heard Japan also has an issue with "Tall Poppy Syndrome"

where while its bad to not be "normal" in a sense of being "worse" then average, its also horrible to be better then average then your looked down on, insulted, and will be taken down a peg by those around you.

i could be wrong as i don't live in japan, so please correct me if they do not have an issue here, but i have heard Japan's culture really disapproves of the individual person not falling in line.