Man with Knives Arrested near U.S. Embassy in Tokyo

Tokyo, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police arrested a man carrying knives near the U.S. Embassy in the Japanese capital on Friday for allegedly obstructing official duties. Around 2:30 p.m., the man, apparently in his 30s, was questioned by a riot police officer about his suspicious behavior, and drew one knife each from a backpack and a black bag he was carrying. When officers attempted to hold him down, he became violent. During the struggle, he injured one officer in the right ankle. The injury is not life-threatening. He has admitted the charges against him. According to local police, the man was walking while looking down and muttering to himself before being questioned by police. He told officers to kill him when he took out a knife, sources said, noting that he did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump or the embassy in Minato Ward. Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the situation further. The MPD has increased security to about 18,000 personnel in anticipation of Trump’s three-day visit to Japan from Monday. To prevent attacks by lone offenders and others, police are actively questioning suspicious individuals near key facilities in Tokyo. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]