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Japan knife attack kills 19, wounds 45 others
A city southwest of Tokyo is reeling after what may be one of the worst acts of mass murder perpetrated by a single person in post-war Japan
Reuters reports that around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a man wielding a knife attacked a facility for the disabled in Sagamihara, Japan. The facility, called Tsukui Yamayuri En, is roughly 3 hectares, with a maximum capacity of 150 people.
19 are feared dead and 45 others injured from the early morning stabbing spree.
The attacker has been identified as Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year-old former employee of the facility. Around 3 a.m., Uematsu drove himself to the police station to turn himself in.
Authorities have yet to confirm the motive for the killing, but according to the Asahi Shimbun, the suspect reportedly told police it would be better if disabled people disappeared.
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JAPAN MASS KILLING
Nineteen people were killed and dozens were wounded after an attack by a knife-wielding man at a facility for the disabled in central Japan early on Tuesday, media reported, in Japan's worst mass killing in decades. Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 40 km southwest of Tokyo, have arrested Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year-old former employee at the facility, Japanese media reported. They said staff called police with reports of a man armed with a knife on the grounds of the Tsukui Yamayuri-En facility. The 3-hectare facility, established by the local government and nestled on the wooded bank of the Sagami River, cares for people with a wide range of disabilities, Japanese state broadcaster NHK said, quoting an unidentified employee. Police had recovered a bag with several knives, at least one stained with blood, NHK said. No details were provided about where the bag of knives was found. The man, wearing a black T-shirt, did not have a knife when he turned himself in at a nearby police station, other reports said. Police said they were still investigating possible motives. Asahi Shimbun reported that the suspect was quoted by police as saying: I want to get rid of the disabled from this world. NHK reported that the facility is usually locked at night but the man broke into the building by smashing a window. The facility's website said the center had a maximum capacity of 160 people, including staff.