Vengeance on Society

The reason was “I wanted to retaliate to the society.” A man who attacked four people, one of which was killed, on the road around his house told the police his motivation of brutal criminal. This case reflected current tendency of crimes in Japan, which was harming innocent people in public space. Possible reasons may be found in politics, economy, education and everything. It can be said that the case was on the process of collapse of this country after the great earthquake.

The criminal attacked four people in ten minutes. First target was a man riding bicycle, who was threatened by a knife that cut his hand. Fatal victim was the second man, who was pierced many times. Then he turned to the third man and robbed his wallet. Finally, the criminal stole a car, which driver was absent in rescuing the second man.

The strange thing is the criminal was talking about the case, pretending to be a witness, to reporters before the police arrested him. In front of his house, he told that he had seen the criminal from the fourth floor of the building, mounting on the victim, throwing the knife down on the victim again and again with crazy loud laughs. The police arrested him next day.

He has always been out of sight of his friends. Most classmates have a few memories about him in the school, because he was often absent the classes. In cyber space, he introduced himself as “evil,” who respected a murderer of children in Kobe city in 1997. To policemen, he explained his motive to be going to airport by bus-jacking, making Kamikaze attacking to Tokyo Sky Tree by high-jacking, and trying to revenge on the society.

Why was he so wrong against the society? An expert of crime supposed that the criminal was frustrated with apathetic attitude of the society. Another saw a sense of sexual perversion on him. But those analyses do not work for deterring such crimes.

However, apathetic society was formed by politics focusing on some specific groups such as big corporations or elites. People dropped out of those interest groups suffer from low income, lack of friends and isolation. No one educates him how to get rid of that hard situation. Finally, the desperate man makes his mind to end his sad life after demonstrating his existence by brutal crime. This tendency became apparent after the great earthquake devastated Japan, spreading depressive feeling among the people.

If the target were a specific individual, it can be avoided by hiding. But, as long as the target is society, attacks on innocent people would not be ceased. Living small land, commuting by clouded trains, walking on sidewalks along with strangers, all Japanese are possible victims of that kind of domestic terrorism.