IN A world tormented by violence, Japan is remarkably safe. Muggings are rare and the murder rate low. Last year police recorded just a single gun death in a country of 126m people.
The weapon of choice when someone runs amok is a knife. And so it was on July 26th when a young man broke into a care home for the disabled and carried out Japan’s worst mass murder in decades. The killer methodically stabbed over 40 people lying in their beds, killing 19. Most of the wounds were to his victims’ necks.
Police have named the only suspect as Satoshi Uematsu, a 26-year-old former care worker at the home, who is now under arrest. Mr Uematsu had repeatedly threatened to kill disabled people. In February he wrote a letter explaining his goal of a world in which people unable to live unattended lives would be euthanised. It was hand-delivered to the residence of Japan’s Lower House speaker.
The pathology of mass killers is consistent, whatever their nationality. Almost all are young and male, fuelled by aggression and testosterone. In many cases the tripwire for murderous sprees can be an event that unravels their lives—losing a job,...Continue reading
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