Earlier this morning, a woman in her 20s was stabbed to death near JR Takadanobaba Station in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward. When police arrived at the scene, they found her lying on the ground with stab wounds to her head, neck and chest. The victim was rushed to hospital in an unconscious state and was later confirmed dead. According to local media, she was a live streamer who was recording live on the channel Whowatch to approximately 6,500 viewers at the time of the attack.
People watching heard her scream, before the feed went silent. Distressing footage taken just after the stabbing has reportedly been shared online. It allegedly shows the suspect standing near the victim and saying “are you dead?” Many viewers initially thought it was staged before realizing the horrifying reality.
Suspect and Victim Reportedly Knew Each Other
A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He admitted to the crime, but told officers that he didn’t intend to kill the woman. The police have since switched the charge to murder and are continuing to investigate the details of the incident. A blood-stained knife was recovered from the scene. According to sources, the suspect and the victim knew each other. They allegedly both had been consulting police in another part of the country over a financial dispute between the two of them.
“I heard screams and saw a woman collapsed on the ground, with her face covered in blood,” said a 31-year-old construction worker who witnessed the incident. He added, “A man nearby was holding something like a mobile phone that was hanging from her neck up to her face.”
