Teen Knifes Teacher in Saitama School, Claims to Be Cat Killer

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:50 JST, March 1, 2023

SAITAMA — A 17-year-old high school male student knifed a male teacher at a junior high school in Toda, Saitama Prefecture, around noon Wednesday, according to the Saitama prefectural police.

“I wanted to kill someone,” the apprehended suspect reportedly told police. He also said he was responsible for the recent killing of cats.

In February, the dead bodies of cats that appeared to have been knifed were found one after another on elementary school grounds and elsewhere in the neighboring city of Saitama.

The 60-year-old teacher was conscious and taken to the hospital after reportedly being injured while scuffling with the suspect, sustaining multiple injuries to his upper body with what appeared to be a knife.

The suspect, a resident of Saitama, was restrained by teachers at Misasa Junior High School and arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. All students were evacuated from the site and confirmed safe.