Forum - View topicNEWS: 17 Hit or Stabbed, 7 Confirmed Dead in Tokyo's Akihabara
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jsevakis
Former ANN Editor in Chief
 Posts: 1684 Location: Los Angeles, CA |
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In the version of the report I saw that you linked to (no doubt it's been revised a few times since), it now is mentioned in passing as a suggestion of early reports. Probably one of those mysterious "facts" that springs from rumor in the middle of chaos (much like the phantom additional hijackings that didn't happen on 9/11). Happens all the time. |
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CruzMissile
Posts: 76 |
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Kyodo news is now saying 5 people have died.
http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=382663 |
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FinfoxAelia
 Posts: 36 |
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FIVE people now? Cheezus, this is just going to get worse isn't it? The fact that took place on the exact same date as a previous and somewhat similar crime doesn't help and probably adds to the panic going on right now. |
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dizzywulf
Posts: 102 Location: Wakayama, Japan |
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Oh my god...they're saying 6 people have died now. This just keeps getting worse and worse.
It says he didn't care who he killed he just wanted to kill people so he came to Akihabara. http://www.nikkei.co.jp/news/shakai/20080608NTE2INK0208062008.html Last edited by dizzywulf on Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9902 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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Not sure if this is a violation of human rights, but Itai News has posted pictures of the suspect.
A friend of mine said this could be just another "dare you not" between yakuza members after a few liters of booze, should he be actually an yakuza member: Drunken yakuza A: "Otaku are stinky." Drunken yakuza B: "Yeah. They're better dead." Drunken yakuza A: "Why don't you kill some? I'll give you ¥10K for each." Drunken yakuza B: "Sure, I'm gonna be rich." |
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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The killer doesn't appear to have been an otaku so I'm not sure why you'd think that was a possibility. I would have thought the murder of Rurika Tojo by an otaku with a thing about h-games (link NSFW) a week or two back would have been more likely to cause anti-otaku hysteria. He appears to have chopped her into pieces small enough to be flushed down his toilet. But I'm guessing that this massacre will eclipse last week's news and take the spotlight from under the otaku rock. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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There has been a spate of yakuza-related violent crimes, lately, and some speculation that some kind of power realignment is going on in the yakuza world. Something is certainly going on with the Dojin-kai syndicate -- they are appearing in the news every day, usually in the context of violent crime. It could be that the BBC is seeing some connection. I would doubt it, though. I don't wish to seem indifferent.... but this is hardly anime-related news. Until and unless it is confirmed that this had anything to do with otaku besides the fact that it took place in Akihabara (which is a big place, and whose inhabitants are largely non-otaku), then it's just a violent crime. Shocking, but not too relevant. - abunai |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2233 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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Judging from the reaction on blogs like this one http://blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/1136294.html a good portion of the posters seem to think this will mean the "end of Akihabara". Personally I say, "fat chance knee jerk overreaction", but it could in fact have a major short term impact on anime, at least locally. It's not everyday there's a mass knife attack in Akiba. Or anywhere in Tokyo, for that matter. Rumors are already flying around about it being an Otaku-related hate crime (just read the comments), and even if that's completely false it'll probably seriously damp down the number of people going to Akiba the next few weeks. Considering the margins and the extremely large percentage of sales of anime DVDs, figures, and pc games that come from Akiba by itself, I suspect that anything planned to be released in the next few weeks might see a significant drop in sales. Pushed to the extreme, this just might lose enough money for a company already on the financial edge to go over the cliff. It's doubtful, of course, and for all I know Otaku will join together and march on the streets of Akiba in solidarity as one people asking only for equal treatment: but I kind of doubt that. It most definitely DOES have an effect on the otaku community in Japan, however, so I would consider it news worthy for this site. |
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GATSU
Posts: 15335 |
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I doubt it's going to hurt sales, considering we had a similar idiot in L.A..
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Ranmah
 Posts: 294 Location: Stomp'n on Tokyo Tower |
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boy, you guys are fast.
I am watching the report on NHK right now. They now said 7 people are confirmed dead. 11 injured. They said this was the worst incident to happen there in 10 years. The suspect is a 25-year old man. He said he wanted to go to Akihihabara to kill people. Tomohiro Kato, from Tomoshiro city. Mr. Kato jumped out of the street and slashed people. He was later captured 5 minutes later. I thought about going to Akihabara to go showing, now I'm glad I didn't go. The roads along Chuo Dori closed on traffic on Sundays |
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Ladymage Samiko
 Posts: 36 |
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I can't help but think that otaku is a factor somewhere in all this. After all, there are a lot of places in Tokyo that would've been crowded with people, each with a particular 'character.' For example, if he'd wanted upper-class targets, he could've gone to Ginza. But he specifically chose Akiba. We can't know how deliberate that was, but still… The London Times wrote, "He [Kato] said that he had carried out the knifings because of a sense of exhaustion and disgust with life." |
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FinfoxAelia
Posts: 36 |
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I think that this was more of an accident than an actual attempt at homicide like what Kato did. I don't mean to sound ageist or anything, but elderly folk really can be a danger to themselves and other while on the road. If Mr. Weller really was suffering from arthritis, the side-effects of a medication, AND a hip replacement he really should not have been driving in the first place. So yeah...he was an idiot. Last edited by FinfoxAelia on Sun Jun 08, 2008 5:24 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Ranmah
Posts: 294 Location: Stomp'n on Tokyo Tower |
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More updated information is located here:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/08_14.html |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2233 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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My point is that it doesn't MATTER if it has anything to do with Otaku as the motive. Otaku will still THINK it does, and will be scared (for a while) to go to Akiba. Well from what I've read on japanese bulletin boards anyway, that seems to be the majority opinion: "I guess we can't go to Akiba on the weekends anymore" "I'm glad I didn't go today, I don't think I'm going back" "Akiba is finished" etc etc... Perhaps they are all trolls, but I think it represents real sentiment (that will pass with time, of course). People in the US definitely are more desensitized to violent crime on the news, and I think an incident like this has a lot stronger impact on people in Japan only because it happens so much more rarely on this scale. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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I'd like to think stress was a greater factor than any potential gang connections (where I live there was recently a wealthy businessman who went on a gun rampage). I'd also like to think the fact it took place in Akihabara was just because of the sheer number of potential victims walking the streets and not its reputation as the centre of Otaku culture. If the Powers that be can try and make shoppers feel safe until this incident blows over then there shouldn't be much of a finantial impact. |
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