High School Girl Injured in Pencil Attack

Aug 05, 2026 | News On Japan

HOKKAIDO - A 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a 16-year-old high school girl in the neck with a mechanical pencil at a store in Hakodate, Hokkaido, around noon on August 4.

Hakodate Central Police Station identified the suspect as a Hakodate resident who described himself as unemployed.

Police said the man allegedly attacked the girl with intent to kill at the store in the city's Mihara 3-chome district, causing an injury to her neck.

Immediately after the incident, the man called police himself and said, "I stabbed a woman with a mechanical pencil." Officers who arrived at the scene arrested him on the spot.

The girl suffered a minor injury, police said.

Investigators believe the suspect and the girl did not know each other.

The man has admitted stabbing her with the mechanical pencil, but police have not determined whether he has admitted intending to kill her.

Police are investigating his motive and the circumstances leading up to the attack.

Source: STVニュース北海道

Typhoon No. 17 Could Bring Sudden Swells to Pacific Beaches

Typhoon No. 17 (Nangka) remained near Minamitorishima as of 3 a.m. on August 14 and is expected to stay relatively weak, but forecasters warned that high waves and sudden swells could affect Japan's Pacific coast, posing a risk to swimmers and others enjoying marine activities during the summer holiday period.

Level 5 Heavy Rain Emergency Warning Issued Across Chiba

A Level 5 heavy rain emergency warning was issued for more than 20 municipalities in Chiba Prefecture on August 13 after a linear rainband formed over northwestern and southern parts of the prefecture, bringing torrential rainfall exceeding 100 millimeters per hour in several locations and causing widespread flooding, stranded vehicles and damage to buildings.

Google Opens Flagship Store in Tokyo's Omotesando

Google opened its first flagship store in Japan in Tokyo's Omotesando district at 2 p.m. on August 13, marking the company's first flagship retail location outside the United States.

Jellyfish-Like Red Glow Lights Up Kanagawa

A mysterious red light stretching vertically across the night sky over Kanagawa Prefecture has been identified as a rare "sprite," a brief luminous phenomenon that occurs high above thunderclouds at roughly the same time as powerful lightning strikes.

Awa Odori Dancers Fill Tokushima Streets

Street performances began across Tokushima on August 12 as the city's Awa Odori festival entered its second day, with leading dance groups showcasing graceful routines after months of practice.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Pythons Escape From Apartment in Kawasaki

Two pet pythons measuring about 2 meters in length escaped from an apartment in Kawasaki's Tama Ward early on August 13, prompting police and firefighters to search the surrounding residential area and warn local residents.

The Unseen Reality of Kumamoto Quake Survivors

Fifteen days after the Kumamoto earthquake, restoration of electricity and transport infrastructure is progressing, but thousands of people are believed to remain outside official shelters, while rising construction costs and interest rates are creating new challenges for rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods.

Teens on Stolen Motorcycle Fire Rockets at Police Officers

Two teenage boys from Tokyo's Adachi Ward have been arrested on suspicion of stealing a motorcycle and firing aerial fireworks toward police officers at two police boxes, telling investigators they were annoyed that a new police box had opened in the area.

Japanese Woman Trapped in North Korea for 40 Years

Hiroko Saito was 19 years old when she left Japan for North Korea in June 1961 with her Korean husband and their one-year-old daughter, persuaded by assurances that they were heading to a "paradise on earth" and that she could return to Japan after three years. Instead, she would spend four decades in North Korea, enduring chronic hunger, the deaths of her husband and children and a desperate struggle to survive before finally escaping and returning home in 2001.