October 2021 Tokyo attack
Perpetrator of a knife and arson attack on a Tokyo train.
On 31 October 2021, Kyota Hattori, a 24-year-old man, carried out a knife and arson attack on a Keiō Railway train in Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The attack injured 17 people, one critically, and was inspired by a similar incident in Tokyo two months earlier. Hattori was arrested at the scene and later sentenced to 23 years in prison.
- Field
- Criminal
- Nationality
- Japanese
- Known for
- Knife and arson attack on a Keiō Railway train on 31 October 2021
Lore & Background
Kyota Hattori, aged 24, attacked a Keiō Railway train on 31 October 2021 at around 8 p.m. JST. Dressed in clothing similar to the Joker character from the Batman franchise, he sprayed pesticide into the eyes of a 72-year-old man and stabbed him in the chest. He then moved to another car, spread lighter fluid, and started a fire. Passengers initially thought it was a Halloween stunt until they saw the knife and fled.
Reader's Guide
The attack prompted the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) to require railroad operators to install security cameras in all new trains. Hattori stated he was referring to the Tokyo stabbings of 6 August 2021, and told officers he wanted to die after work problems and hoped for the death penalty. His actions also inspired a copycat attack on 8 November 2021, when a 69-year-old man attempted to set a Sakura Shinkansen service on fire. Hattori was found guilty of attempted murder and arson on 31 July 2023 and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Did You Know?
- He sprayed pesticide into a passenger's eyes before stabbing him.
- A copycat attack occurred eight days later on a Sakura Shinkansen service.
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