Jul 14 (Japan Today) - A 22-year-old man who went on a rampage on a shinkansen (bullet train) last month, fatally stabbing one man and injuring two women, began a psychiatric evaluation on Friday. The Yokohama District Court ordered the examination to determine if the man is mentally competent to stand trial.
Ichiro Kojima, an unemployed 22-year-old man, was on the 16-car Nozomi 265 bullet train as it was traveling between Shin-Yokohama and Odawara stations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line at around 9:45 p.m. on June 9. There were around 880 passengers aboard the train bound for Shin-Osaka.
Kojima was in the No. 12 car when he pulled out a cleaver and a knife and attacked two women passengers at random. Kotaro Umeda, a 38-year-old man from Hyogo Prefecture, was fatally stabbed as he tried to protect the women who sustained injuries to their heads and shoulders.
After his arrest, Kojima told police he hated society and wanted to kill someone and that it didn’t matter who, Fuji TV reported.
Source: ANNnewsCH
