Japan Today -- Jul 14
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.
東海道新幹線の車内で乗客の男女3人が殺傷された事件で、横浜地検小田原支部が逮捕された22歳の男の鑑定留置を行うことになりました。 小島一朗容疑者は先月9日、東海道新幹線「のぞみ」で乗客の梅田耕太郎さん（38）を刃物で切り付けて殺害した疑いなどが持たれています。
News sources: Japan Today, ANNnewsCH
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