Japan Knife Attack: 19 Killed, Dozens Wounded

Local Editor

A man who claimed he wanted to kill disabled people left at least 19 dead and 26 others injured after a knife attack at a care facility in Japan.

Petrified staff at the Tsukui Yamayuri En [Tsukui Lily Garden] facility in Sagamihara, south of Tokyo, called police at about 2:30 am local time after the suspect, named by Japanese media as Satoshi Uematsu, launched his attack.

Emergency workers said at least 20 of the wounded had sustained serious injuries, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Police in Kanagawa prefecture said Uematsu had driven to the nearby Tsukui police station and turned himself in after the attack.

"I did it," he was quoted as saying. The 26-year-old is believed to be a former employee of the facility.

He is said to have added: "It is better that disabled people disappear."

Uematsu, a resident of Sagamighara, was carrying a bag full of knives and other sharp-edged tools, some of which were bloodstained, when he handed himself in.

A police spokesman declined to give details of the investigation, saying: "We are still confirming details of the case."

Nine women and 10 men were killed, the fire department was quoted as saying, and they ranged in age from 18 to 70.

Police have yet to formally establish a motive for the attack, the worst mass killing in Japan since the war.

NTV said Uematsu had forced his way into the building by smashing a window with a hammer.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team