TOKYO — Police here have arrested a 29-year-old man for attempted murder after he stabbed a stranger in the stomach following a street altercation in Machida City, reports TBS News (Apr. 18).
Takeshi Oketani, who is unemployed, is accused of stabbing a man in his 30s with a folding knife on a street in the Morino area at around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The incident reportedly began when the two men bumped into each other while walking, sparking a heated dispute. After stabbing the victim, Oketani fled the scene and ran into the nearby Odakyu Line Machida Station.
Police officers, responding to emergency calls from witnesses, quickly located Oketani inside the station and took him into custody. At the time of his arrest, he was still carrying the blood-stained folding knife used in the attack.
The victim was transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment. He remained conscious during transport, and his injuries are reported to be non-life-threatening.
Upon questioning, Oketani admitted to the stabbing but partially denied the charge of attempted murder.
“We bumped into each other while walking, and I stabbed him around the stomach,” the suspect told investigators. “But I did not stab him with the intent to kill.”
The Metropolitan Police Department is continuing to investigate the sequence of events that escalated into the violent dispute.
