Three Dead as Knife-wielding Man Attacks Schoolchildren in Japan

By BBC

A knife-wielding man has attacked a group of schoolchildren waiting for a bus in a Japanese city near Tokyo.

At least 18 people were injured on a residential street in Kawasaki. Two of them, a 11-year-old girl and a 39-year-old man, are dead.

A suspect, a man in his 50s, stabbed himself in the neck after his rampage and later died in hospital. Violent crime is rare in Japan and the motive for the attack is unknown.

The suspect was holding knives in both hands as he attacked the victims - sixteen of whom were schoolgirls. Local media outlets say the 39-year-old victim is believed to be the parent of one of the children.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has condemned the attack, saying he felt "strong anger" against it. "It is a very harrowing case. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and hope the injured recover quickly," Mr Abe said.

The incident took place just before 08:00 local time on Tuesday (23:00 GMT Monday) near a local park and a train station. A number of students were waiting to board their bus to the nearby Caritas elementary school, a private Catholic school.

The driver of the Caritas school bus told NHK that he saw a man approach the queue of students.