A female Pokémon store worker in her 20s was stabbed to death in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighbourhood on Tuesday evening. The attack occurred at 7.16pm local time in a busy shopping centre during Japan's spring break season.
The male assailant, also in his 20s, wielded knives in both hands and pushed behind the counter before repeatedly stabbing the victim, including in the neck, according to broadcaster TV Asahi. A bloodstained knife was later found wrapped in cloth nearby, reported the Mainichi Shimbun.
Witnesses described chaos as shoppers and staff fled the store. One witness said: 'There was an incredible noise from behind the counter, so loud we thought something had fallen over. Immediately afterwards, a foreigner came running up shouting 'Help!'' Another witness noted: 'There were lots of families with children because it was spring break, and the kids were running away too. It was terrifying.'
Both the victim and attacker were taken to hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead. Police confirmed the attacker died from self-inflicted wounds. The motive remains unclear, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said the case is under investigation.
The shopping centre is located near Ikebukuro terminal, one of Tokyo's busiest train stations. Japan has strict gun laws, but a series of stabbing incidents have occurred in recent years, including a February attack in Fukuoka and a March stabbing in Osaka's Dotonbori district.
The Pokémon Company, which operates around two dozen stores in Japan, has not yet commented.
