TOKYO - Two men who were arrested for forcibly entering an elementary school in Tachikawa City, Tokyo, and assaulting staff members have been identified as friends of a student's mother. One of the suspects denies the charges, claiming he was only brushing people off after being restrained.
The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at Tachikawa Municipal Daisan Elementary School in Nishikicho, when a man in his 20s and another in his 40s entered a second-grade classroom on the second floor during a lesson. Afterward, they moved to the first floor, where they broke the glass door of the staff room and assaulted the principal and other teachers. Police officers who arrived at the scene arrested the men on the spot.
Five male school staff members who attempted to restrain the intruders were injured in the process.
According to investigators, the child’s mother had visited the school earlier that day for a discussion with staff, but when the conversation failed to reach a resolution, she is believed to have contacted the two men. The older suspect denied the allegations, stating, "I was being stopped and only brushed them off." The younger suspect admitted to the charges, saying, "They were holding me down, so I pushed them away and hit them several times."
Despite the violent intrusion, no children were harmed. Quick and decisive action by teachers helped to isolate the men and evacuate students safely. In the targeted classroom, which had 32 children and two teachers, students were moved to safe areas such as the gymnasium or outside the room. At the same time, staff guided the intruders toward the staff area and into a conference room to separate them from the children.
Elsewhere in the building, teachers erected makeshift barricades with desks and chairs to prevent access to classrooms. Some children described how teachers moved furniture in front of doors to block entry, while older students took part in the barricading efforts themselves.
Such preparedness was the result of regular safety drills conducted at schools nationwide. One example is a school in Ichiba, Osaka, which uses the coded phrase "mizumore" ("water leak") to alert teachers and students of a potential intruder without alarming the perpetrator. Upon hearing the phrase, classrooms are trained to initiate lockdown procedures immediately.
These drills and emergency measures were instituted after a fatal 2001 stabbing at Ikeda Elementary School in Osaka, where a man killed eight children. In response, the Ministry of Education introduced official crisis manuals, and legislation was later enacted requiring all schools to implement individualized emergency protocols.
Authorities believe that the measures taken at Tachikawa's Daisan Elementary School were based on such protocols, underscoring how past tragedies continue to shape current practices and help safeguard children from harm.
Source: FNN
