17-Year-Old Fatally Stabbed in Osaka’s Dotonbori; Suspect at Large

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:52 JST, February 15, 2026

OSAKA — The Osaka prefectural police are investigating a fatal stabbing that occurred at midnight on Sunday in the popular Dotonbori entertainment district. Three young men were taken to the hospital after being attacked and a 17-year-old male was later pronounced dead from multiple stab wounds to the chest.

The incident was reported around midnight Sunday when a passerby made an emergency call to the police from the entrance of a commercial building in Chuo Ward, Osaka City, reporting that people were being stabbed.

According to police, the deceased has been identified as a 17-year-old resident of Tawamotocho, Nara Prefecture, whose occupation is currently unknown. The two other victims, also believed to be in their late teens, sustained injuries.

The suspect, described as a man in his early 20s wearing dark clothing, fled the scene and remains at large. Police warned that the weapon has not been recovered and may still be in the suspect’s possession.

Witnesses and acquaintances at the scene told investigators that the victims and the suspect were known to each other and had been involved in a dispute before the stabbing. The police are investigating the case as a homicide.