Crime & Courts

1 Person Killed In Knife Attack Outside Nagano Station; Two Others Injured, Police Still Searching for Suspect

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, January 23, 2025

NAGANO — One person was killed and two others injured in a stabbing attack in front of JR Nagano Station at around 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The perpetrator is still at large.

Investigative sources said Thursday that the male suspect attacked the victims near the station. To aid in the search, police have released images of the man captured on security cameras around the station.

All three victims were from Nagano. A 49-year-old company employee died at the hospital, and a 37-year-old male office worker was seriously injured. A 46-year-old female worker was slightly hurt.

Courtesy of the Nagano prefectural police
A man who is believed to have fled after the attack is seen on a security camera near Nagano Station.

According to the Nagano prefectural police and witnesses, the suspect fled on foot in a westerly direction, gesturing as if he was pointing a knife at passersby. The weapon he held looked like a fish slicer with a long, narrow edge.

A witness reportedly saw the 49-year-old victim attacked first, suffering multiple wounds on his left chest. None of the three victims appear to have known the suspect, leading the police to investigate the case on suspicion of murder or attempted murder by a random killer.

The suspect also appears not to have spoken during the attack.

An image released by the police showed the suspect with a white towel-like cloth wrapped around his head. He is believed to be between 20 and 40 years old and between 1.65-1.75 meters tall. He is thin and was wearing glasses.