This is an extremely rare crime in Japan. Japanese society has been particularly shaken after the arrest of a young man suspected of killing four people. The killings, including those of two police officers, occurred in Nakano, Nagano prefecture in the centre of the country. But what happened? Who is the suspect? And why such a wave of emotion? 20 Minutes takes stock for you.

What happened?

On Thursday, a man stabbed a woman near a farm in Nakano. "I was working on a farm when just after 16 p.m. a woman ran up from the road saying 'help me' and then she fell. Behind her was a man in camouflage with a long knife, who stabbed her in the back," a witness told NHK. The 72-year-old witness said he then called for help, and neighbors tried to revive the victim by performing a heart massage, to no avail.

A second woman was injured and succumbed to her injuries. Pursued by the police, called to the scene, the madman shot dead two members of the police. He then holed up in a house with a farm. Sporadic gunfire was heard overnight before the suspect was arrested around 4:30 a.m. (21:30 p.m. French time). "A police investigation is underway to shed light on this case, including its unfolding and context," government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno said Friday, adding "we pray for the souls of those who have died and express our sincere condolences to the bereaved families."

What is the profile of the suspect?

The suspect is a 31-year-old man. Masanori Aoki is a young farmer from Nagano Prefecture in central Japan. He is the son of a Nakano city councillor who lived with his father, mother and aunt, according to local media.

The motive of the alleged murderer remains unknown for the time being. "He grew grapes, he was a calm person. I really don't know why he did such a thing," a neighbour told Japan's public broadcaster NHK. At a press conference on Friday, the head of the National Public Security Commission, Koichi Tani, said the suspect had obtained permission from authorities to possess a shotgun and an air pistol.

Why is this so shocking in Japan?

Murders are rare in Japan, where the carrying of firearms is highly regulated. In 2022, only four people were shot dead in this country of 125 million people. But Japan was rocked last year by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was killed with a homemade firearm while delivering an election speech in the western city of Nara.

And last month, a young man was arrested after throwing an improvised explosive device at incumbent Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who was traveling to a small fishing port in the western department of Wakayama. Fumio Kishida escaped unscathed. Proof of the emotion generated by this act, no less than 100 investigators are mobilized in this case.

The main suspect, however, does not dispute the facts according to the chief of police of Nagano department. "It was an act of extreme hatred that shocked not only the people of the department but the entire Japanese society," Koyama said. The inhabitants of the surrounding area, a usually very peaceful area with rice fields and agricultural greenhouses, had been called by local authorities to go into lockdown.

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