Woman arrested after Tokyo stabbing spree – media

A woman has been taken into custody after going on a stabbing rampage aboard a train which had stopped at Tokyo’s Akihabara station, local media reported on Wednesday. At least four people are believed to have been injured during the incident.

The attack was indirectly confirmed by the train operator, the East Japan Railway Company, which stated on X (formerly Twitter) that traffic on the line had been suspended due to “trouble on the train.” Akihabara is located on the Yamanote loop line, one of the busiest public transportation routes in the Japanese capital.

Unverified footage circulating online shows police officers taking a suspect into custody and leading her off the train. The severity of the victims' injuries remains unknown and it was not immediately clear what exactly prompted the knife attack.

Tokyo metro trains have occasionally become the scene for knifing sprees and other acts of random violence. Last summer, a 26-year-old man was sentenced to 23 years behind bars for a 2021 Halloween night rampage, when he attacked passengers and set a crowded train on fire while dressed as ‘The Joker’, Batman's arch-nemesis. The attacker claimed the rampage was a part of his murder-suicide plot, as he planned to end up sentenced to death for his actions.