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2 Dead After Self-Immolation on Japanese Bullet Train 2 Dead After Self-Immolation on Japanese Bullet Train
(about 4 hours later)
TOKYO — A 71-year-old man burned himself to death aboard a Japanese high-speed train on Tuesday in what appeared to be a deliberate act of self-immolation, the authorities and witnesses said. A second passenger on the train, a woman, also died.TOKYO — A 71-year-old man burned himself to death aboard a Japanese high-speed train on Tuesday in what appeared to be a deliberate act of self-immolation, the authorities and witnesses said. A second passenger on the train, a woman, also died.
The man, whose name was not immediately made public, doused himself and parts of the train’s interior with a flammable liquid before igniting it with a cigarette lighter at the front of the train, just outside the driver’s compartment, witnesses told Japanese television networks. The man, who some witnesses said appeared to be mentally disturbed, doused himself and parts of the train’s interior with a flammable liquid before igniting it with a cigarette lighter at the front of the train, just outside the driver’s compartment, passengers told Japanese television networks.
Aerial footage showed emergency crews and railway workers surrounding the sleek, white Shinkansen bullet train, which had been traveling to Osaka from Tokyo. Twenty-six people were treated for injuries including burns and smoke inhalation, the local Fire Department said.Aerial footage showed emergency crews and railway workers surrounding the sleek, white Shinkansen bullet train, which had been traveling to Osaka from Tokyo. Twenty-six people were treated for injuries including burns and smoke inhalation, the local Fire Department said.
“I heard screams, and someone was shouting, ‘There’s a man spreading kerosene!’ ” a young woman who said she had been riding in the train’s second car told Fuji Television.“I heard screams, and someone was shouting, ‘There’s a man spreading kerosene!’ ” a young woman who said she had been riding in the train’s second car told Fuji Television.
Witnesses described moments of fear and panic as passengers in the lead car fled toward the rear or begged the man to stop. Some reported hearing passengers shout, “There are children on board!” Witnesses described moments of fear and panic as passengers in the lead car of the 16-car train fled toward the rear or begged the man to stop. Some reported hearing passengers shout, “There are children on board!”
Several passengers said the man had appeared disoriented and wandered up and down the aisle of the lead car before he abruptly began emptying a large plastic jug of liquid around the cabin. A woman who said she was riding in that car told Japan’s national public broadcaster, NHK, that he had inexplicably placed several 1,000 yen notes, worth about $8 each, on her tray table, saying: “I found some money. Take it.” Several passengers said the man had appeared disoriented and wandered up and down the aisle of the lead car before he abruptly began emptying a large plastic container of liquid over himself and some seats at the front of the cabin. A woman who said she was riding in that car told Japan’s national public broadcaster, NHK, that he had inexplicably placed several 1,000 yen notes, worth about $8 each, on her tray table, saying: “I found some money. Take it.”
When he began dousing the cabin, she shouted at him to stop, she said, but he told her: “You’re in danger. Get out of here.”When he began dousing the cabin, she shouted at him to stop, she said, but he told her: “You’re in danger. Get out of here.”
The events occurred as the superexpress train was speeding through the resort city of Odawara, about 50 miles southwest of Tokyo. Smoke alarms sounded, and the train came to an emergency stop. A conductor used a fire extinguisher before rescue crews arrived, Japan’s national public broadcaster said. About 800 people were aboard the train at the time, according to NHK. The events occurred as the superexpress train was speeding through the resort city of Odawara, about 50 miles southwest of Tokyo. Smoke alarms sounded, and the driver brought the train to an emergency stop before using a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, the Transportation Ministry said. A conductor used a fire extinguisher before rescue crews arrived, Japan’s national public broadcaster said. About 800 people were aboard the train at the time.
The other fatally injured passenger was identified only as a woman who appeared to be in her 50s. She was found lying near the back of the lead car and taken to a hospital, but she was pronounced dead about two hours later, the Kanagawa prefectural police said. Service on the crowded national rail artery, which carries hundreds of thousands of passengers a day between Japan’s two largest metropolises, was suspended for more than three hours.
The police said she had not been visibly burned, though they could not rule out smoke inhalation. The cause of her death was under investigation. The Kanagawa prefectural police identified the man as Haruo Hayashizaki, a resident of Tokyo. They said they found no suicide note or other message at the scene but intended to search his home for clues. Neighbors interviewed by television crews described him as a quiet loner who had worked until recently in building demolition.
NHK said some passengers reported hearing an explosion at the rear of the lead car, near where the woman was found, around the time the man set himself on fire. With the whirl of smoke, fire and chaos, however, it was not immediately clear whether there had been a separate explosion. A male passenger who said he was riding in the first car of the train told TV Asahi that Mr. Hayashizaki kept repeating, “Where can I get cigarettes?”
“He looked homeless,” the passenger said. “It’s a nonsmoking train, and it just seemed odd.”
The other fatally injured passenger was identified as Yoshiko Kuwahara, 52, a physical therapist from Yokohama. She was found lying near the back of the lead car and taken to a hospital, but she was pronounced dead about two hours later.
The police said she had not been visibly burned , though they could not rule out smoke inhalation. The cause of her death was under investigation. They said she had no apparent connection to Mr. Hayashizaki.
The Shinkansen trains, which reach speeds of close to 190 miles per hour, have an enviable safety record: There has never been a fatal crash or derailment in the 50 years they have been operating.The Shinkansen trains, which reach speeds of close to 190 miles per hour, have an enviable safety record: There has never been a fatal crash or derailment in the 50 years they have been operating.
There have been suicides, however, mostly by people who have thrown themselves into the trains’ paths. Last November, a man killed himself by climbing onto the front of one of the long-nosed lead cars and grabbing an overhead electrical wire. In 2009, another man killed himself by jumping out of a moving Shinkansen train’s emergency door.There have been suicides, however, mostly by people who have thrown themselves into the trains’ paths. Last November, a man killed himself by climbing onto the front of one of the long-nosed lead cars and grabbing an overhead electrical wire. In 2009, another man killed himself by jumping out of a moving Shinkansen train’s emergency door.
There have also been deaths by natural causes, like heart attacks, and at least one murder: In 1988, a man was stabbed to death in what appeared to be a robbery on a Shinkansen train to Nagoya from Tokyo.There have also been deaths by natural causes, like heart attacks, and at least one murder: In 1988, a man was stabbed to death in what appeared to be a robbery on a Shinkansen train to Nagoya from Tokyo.
That the man who apparently self-immolated on Tuesday was able to carry a large jug of flammable liquid onto a train without raising suspicion could prompt questions about security on the busy Shinkansen system. That the man who apparently self-immolated on Tuesday was able to carry a large container of flammable liquid onto a train without raising suspicion could prompt questions about security on the busy Shinkansen system.
Passengers must pass through a dedicated ticket gate, separate from that for regular commuter trains and subways, to gain access to the high-speed network, but there are no baggage inspections.Passengers must pass through a dedicated ticket gate, separate from that for regular commuter trains and subways, to gain access to the high-speed network, but there are no baggage inspections.
Putting in place the sort of security measures employed at airports, for example, would be difficult. A Shinkansen train can carry more than 1,300 passengers, depending on its configuration, and trains depart every few minutes at peak times. The heavily traveled corridor between the metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka serves 420,000 people a day — about 60 percent more than come and go at the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.Putting in place the sort of security measures employed at airports, for example, would be difficult. A Shinkansen train can carry more than 1,300 passengers, depending on its configuration, and trains depart every few minutes at peak times. The heavily traveled corridor between the metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka serves 420,000 people a day — about 60 percent more than come and go at the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.
In Europe, passengers on the Eurostar high-speed trains that connect London with Paris and Brussels must put their hand luggage through x-ray machines. But the Eurostar runs less frequently and carries fewer passengers. Even then, riders are asked to arrive as much 45 minutes early to clear security and passport controls.
“It would be hard to copy that in Japan, where the priority is convenience,” Satoru Sone, a railway expert and emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, said in comments carried by NHK. “We’re used to being able to arrive at the gate 30 seconds before departure and rush onto the train.”