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| Japan care home attack: picture emerges of modest man with horrifying vision | Japan care home attack: picture emerges of modest man with horrifying vision |
| (30 days later) | |
| To his neighbours, he was a polite young man with a ready smile and a desire to help. But, on Tuesday, Satoshi Uematsu was in police custody after allegedly carrying out the worst mass killing in Japan since the second world war. | To his neighbours, he was a polite young man with a ready smile and a desire to help. But, on Tuesday, Satoshi Uematsu was in police custody after allegedly carrying out the worst mass killing in Japan since the second world war. |
| As residents in the Tsukui district of Sagamihara city struggled to comprehend the brutal slaying of 19 residents at a care home where Uematsu once worked, it was becoming apparent that his actions were driven by a deep-seated hatred of people with disabilities. | As residents in the Tsukui district of Sagamihara city struggled to comprehend the brutal slaying of 19 residents at a care home where Uematsu once worked, it was becoming apparent that his actions were driven by a deep-seated hatred of people with disabilities. |
| As reporters descended on this quiet neighbourhood of grand wooden homes, persimmon orchards and allotments, Uematsu’s neighbours could barely believe reports that he had returned to the facility where he was employed until February this year and begun stabbing residents as they slept, in many cases slitting their throats. | As reporters descended on this quiet neighbourhood of grand wooden homes, persimmon orchards and allotments, Uematsu’s neighbours could barely believe reports that he had returned to the facility where he was employed until February this year and begun stabbing residents as they slept, in many cases slitting their throats. |
| At about 2am, the 26-year-old is thought to have got into his car and driven the short distance from his home to the Tsukui Yamayuri En (Tsukui Lily Garden) facility, where he smashed a window with a hammer to gain entry. | At about 2am, the 26-year-old is thought to have got into his car and driven the short distance from his home to the Tsukui Yamayuri En (Tsukui Lily Garden) facility, where he smashed a window with a hammer to gain entry. |
| By the end of his rampage, nine men and 10 women aged 19-70 were dead and 25 others were injured, most of them seriously. Then, according to reports, he got back into his car and drove to the nearest police station to hand himself in. | By the end of his rampage, nine men and 10 women aged 19-70 were dead and 25 others were injured, most of them seriously. Then, according to reports, he got back into his car and drove to the nearest police station to hand himself in. |
| “I did it,” he was quoted as telling police officers at around 3am. “It is better that disabled people disappear,” he was said to have added. | “I did it,” he was quoted as telling police officers at around 3am. “It is better that disabled people disappear,” he was said to have added. |
| Inside his car, police found a bag containing knives and other sharp-edged tools. Witnesses who glimpsed inside the vehicle before it was impounded said the seats were covered in blood. | Inside his car, police found a bag containing knives and other sharp-edged tools. Witnesses who glimpsed inside the vehicle before it was impounded said the seats were covered in blood. |
| As reports emerged of Uematsu’s desire to exterminate disabled people through euthanasia, his neighbour, Akihiro Hasegawa, said there was nothing in the suspect’s behaviour to foretell his capacity for unspeakable violence against some of the community’s most vulnerable people. | As reports emerged of Uematsu’s desire to exterminate disabled people through euthanasia, his neighbour, Akihiro Hasegawa, said there was nothing in the suspect’s behaviour to foretell his capacity for unspeakable violence against some of the community’s most vulnerable people. |
| “You’d probably expect me to say that he looked weird, or had done something bad, but he was just a friendly, polite guy who said hello whenever we saw each other in the street,” Hasegawa, 73, told the Guardian. “I am sure that everyone else in this neighbourhood would say the same.” | “You’d probably expect me to say that he looked weird, or had done something bad, but he was just a friendly, polite guy who said hello whenever we saw each other in the street,” Hasegawa, 73, told the Guardian. “I am sure that everyone else in this neighbourhood would say the same.” |
| Uematsu, he said, was immediately recognisable from his shock of dyed blond hair, and added that he had spotted his neighbour’s yakuza-style tattoo on his chest and upper arms. Despite the marking, Uematsu is not thought to belong to a crime syndicate. | Uematsu, he said, was immediately recognisable from his shock of dyed blond hair, and added that he had spotted his neighbour’s yakuza-style tattoo on his chest and upper arms. Despite the marking, Uematsu is not thought to belong to a crime syndicate. |
| Authorities said he had been “involuntarily committed” to hospital on 19 February, after police in Tsukui, located 50km south-west of Tokyo, contacted him in response to a letter he had attempted to pass to the speaker of the lower house of Japan’s parliament. | Authorities said he had been “involuntarily committed” to hospital on 19 February, after police in Tsukui, located 50km south-west of Tokyo, contacted him in response to a letter he had attempted to pass to the speaker of the lower house of Japan’s parliament. |
| In the letter, Uematsu argued that the government should permit euthanasia for disabled people, said he would be willing to carry out such killings himself, and detailed how he would do it. | In the letter, Uematsu argued that the government should permit euthanasia for disabled people, said he would be willing to carry out such killings himself, and detailed how he would do it. |
| “I envision a world where a person with multiple disabilities can be euthanised, with an agreement from the guardians, when it is difficult for the person to carry out household and social activities,” the letter said. | “I envision a world where a person with multiple disabilities can be euthanised, with an agreement from the guardians, when it is difficult for the person to carry out household and social activities,” the letter said. |
| Uematsu’s letter said he could “wipe out a total of 470 disabled individuals” by targeting two facilities for disabled people during the night shift, “when staffing is low”. | Uematsu’s letter said he could “wipe out a total of 470 disabled individuals” by targeting two facilities for disabled people during the night shift, “when staffing is low”. |
| “The act will be carried out speedily, and definitely without harming the staff. After wiping out the 260 people in two facilities, I will turn myself in.” | “The act will be carried out speedily, and definitely without harming the staff. After wiping out the 260 people in two facilities, I will turn myself in.” |
| He was released from hospital on 2 March after a doctor deemed his condition had improved, a Sagamihara town official said. While in hospital, Uematsu was diagnosed as suffering from paranoia as well as being dependent on cannabis, the official added. | He was released from hospital on 2 March after a doctor deemed his condition had improved, a Sagamihara town official said. While in hospital, Uematsu was diagnosed as suffering from paranoia as well as being dependent on cannabis, the official added. |
| “I feel pain, as it’s said there was no problem, but that was the decision at that time,” said Eiji Yagi, a Sagamihara official in charge of the city’s mental health welfare section. | “I feel pain, as it’s said there was no problem, but that was the decision at that time,” said Eiji Yagi, a Sagamihara official in charge of the city’s mental health welfare section. |
| The suspect apparently began changing about five months ago, said Yuji Kuroiwa, the governor of the prefecture in which Sagamihara is located. “You could say there were warning signs, but it’s difficult to say if this could have been prevented,” he told reporters. | The suspect apparently began changing about five months ago, said Yuji Kuroiwa, the governor of the prefecture in which Sagamihara is located. “You could say there were warning signs, but it’s difficult to say if this could have been prevented,” he told reporters. |
| “This was not an impulsive crime ... He went in the dark of the night, opened one door at a time, and stabbed sleeping people one by one. I just can’t believe the cruelty of this crime. We need to prevent this from ever happening again.” | “This was not an impulsive crime ... He went in the dark of the night, opened one door at a time, and stabbed sleeping people one by one. I just can’t believe the cruelty of this crime. We need to prevent this from ever happening again.” |
| A Twitter account that Japanese media said belonged to Uematsu included a tweet posted at 2.50am, moments after the attack ended. It said: “Wishing for a peaceful world. Beautiful Japan!” | A Twitter account that Japanese media said belonged to Uematsu included a tweet posted at 2.50am, moments after the attack ended. It said: “Wishing for a peaceful world. Beautiful Japan!” |
| By late Tuesday afternoon, police had yet to cordon off Uematsu’s house, a modest, cream-coloured concrete structure located just a few minutes’ walk from the care home. A white curtain had been loosely drawn in the living room of the property where Uematsu had lived alone since his father, an art teacher, and his mother moved to the Tokyo suburbs about five years ago. | By late Tuesday afternoon, police had yet to cordon off Uematsu’s house, a modest, cream-coloured concrete structure located just a few minutes’ walk from the care home. A white curtain had been loosely drawn in the living room of the property where Uematsu had lived alone since his father, an art teacher, and his mother moved to the Tokyo suburbs about five years ago. |
| He is said to have once dreamed of following his father into the teaching profession. In two group photos posted on his Facebook page, a smiling Uematsu is shown with other young men who appear to be his friends. “It was so much fun today. Thank you all. Now I am 23, but please be friends forever,” a post from 2013 says. | He is said to have once dreamed of following his father into the teaching profession. In two group photos posted on his Facebook page, a smiling Uematsu is shown with other young men who appear to be his friends. “It was so much fun today. Thank you all. Now I am 23, but please be friends forever,” a post from 2013 says. |
| Hasegawa recalled how his neighbour liked to feed stray cats, and the times when he weeded the retiree’s garden and cleared the snow from his driveway. “He was already living here when I moved in eight years ago, and I never once saw him angry or heard him arguing with his parents,” Hasegawa said. | Hasegawa recalled how his neighbour liked to feed stray cats, and the times when he weeded the retiree’s garden and cleared the snow from his driveway. “He was already living here when I moved in eight years ago, and I never once saw him angry or heard him arguing with his parents,” Hasegawa said. |
| A short drive away in the Café Karat, conversation was dominated by the horrors visited on Sagamihara only hours earlier. “One of the reasons that the care home was so nice was because it was located in a tranquil part of town,” said a woman in her 60s who declined to give her name. | A short drive away in the Café Karat, conversation was dominated by the horrors visited on Sagamihara only hours earlier. “One of the reasons that the care home was so nice was because it was located in a tranquil part of town,” said a woman in her 60s who declined to give her name. |
| Another, who gave her name as Keiko, said: “When I heard the news this morning my first thought was: how on earth could one person create such carnage armed with only a knife?” | Another, who gave her name as Keiko, said: “When I heard the news this morning my first thought was: how on earth could one person create such carnage armed with only a knife?” |
| According to local media reports, Uematsu tied up at least one member of staff with plastic handcuffs before attacking the residents, who live with a wide range of disabilities. | According to local media reports, Uematsu tied up at least one member of staff with plastic handcuffs before attacking the residents, who live with a wide range of disabilities. |
| The Tsukui Yamayuri En facility is situated in three hectares (7.6 acres) of grounds. Established by the local government and located on the banks of the Sagami river, it has a swimming pool, gym and medical clinic. The facility is home to 150 residents aged between 19 and 75; about 40 are over 60. | The Tsukui Yamayuri En facility is situated in three hectares (7.6 acres) of grounds. Established by the local government and located on the banks of the Sagami river, it has a swimming pool, gym and medical clinic. The facility is home to 150 residents aged between 19 and 75; about 40 are over 60. |
| In the afternoon, hearses arrived at the care home to remove some of the bodies, but most were still inside the building as darkness fell and police re-directed residents driving home from work. | In the afternoon, hearses arrived at the care home to remove some of the bodies, but most were still inside the building as darkness fell and police re-directed residents driving home from work. |
| Earlier, three people who attempted to leave flowers at the scene were politely turned away while investigators and emergency workers continued to gather evidence and remove the bodies. | Earlier, three people who attempted to leave flowers at the scene were politely turned away while investigators and emergency workers continued to gather evidence and remove the bodies. |
| The tragedy will inevitably raise questions about how seriously police and local authorities took Uematsu’s threats, and whether staff at the facility were aware of the letter in which he gave details of how he intended to carry out his crime. | The tragedy will inevitably raise questions about how seriously police and local authorities took Uematsu’s threats, and whether staff at the facility were aware of the letter in which he gave details of how he intended to carry out his crime. |
| Mass killings are a rarity in Japan, considered one of the safest societies in the world, thanks in part to strict gun laws. | Mass killings are a rarity in Japan, considered one of the safest societies in the world, thanks in part to strict gun laws. |
| But the country has occasionally been confronted with killing sprees carried out with knives. | But the country has occasionally been confronted with killing sprees carried out with knives. |
| In 2001, eight children were killed and 19 others injured when a man forced his way into a primary school in Osaka and began a frenzied knife attack. In 2008, seven people were killed by a man who slammed a truck into a crowd of people in central Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district and then stabbed passersby. | In 2001, eight children were killed and 19 others injured when a man forced his way into a primary school in Osaka and began a frenzied knife attack. In 2008, seven people were killed by a man who slammed a truck into a crowd of people in central Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district and then stabbed passersby. |
| Two years later, 14 people were injured by an unemployed man who stabbed and assaulted bus passengers outside a railway station near Tokyo. | Two years later, 14 people were injured by an unemployed man who stabbed and assaulted bus passengers outside a railway station near Tokyo. |
| Before Tuesday morning’s mass killing, the deadliest attack committed on Japanese soil in recent decades occurred in 1995, when members of the Aum Supreme Truth cult released sarin gas on the Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and injuring thousands of others. | Before Tuesday morning’s mass killing, the deadliest attack committed on Japanese soil in recent decades occurred in 1995, when members of the Aum Supreme Truth cult released sarin gas on the Tokyo subway, killing 12 people and injuring thousands of others. |
| Yasuyuki Deguchi, a criminologist, said Uematsu’s alleged actions were typical of someone who bore a grudge and seeks revenge, because it appeared that he had planned the attack and intended to turn himself in to police. “Accomplishing his goal was all he wanted,” Deguchi told TV Asahi. | Yasuyuki Deguchi, a criminologist, said Uematsu’s alleged actions were typical of someone who bore a grudge and seeks revenge, because it appeared that he had planned the attack and intended to turn himself in to police. “Accomplishing his goal was all he wanted,” Deguchi told TV Asahi. |