Woman-Related Dispute May Be Behind Osaka Stabbing

Osaka, Feb. 16 (Jiji Press)–A dispute stemming from alleged harassment of a woman may have triggered an incident in the western Japan city of Osaka at the weekend, in which a teenage male was stabbed to death and two others were injured, investigative sources said Monday. The suspect, Ryoga Iwasaki, a 21-year-old jobless man, is believed to have engaged in nuisance behavior toward a woman acquainted with the victims shortly before the attack, which happened at the entrance of a building in the city’s Dotonbori downtown district late Saturday night, according to the sources. Iwasaki and the three victims, all 17, entered into a heated exchange, and the suspect then assaulted the males with a knife, the sources said. The dead victim was Ryunosuke Kamada, a company employee, who was stabbed in the chest. One of the two injured males is unconscious and in critical condition. Iwasaki fled the scene on foot after the assault and was apprehended about 10 hours later on a street in Osaka’s Naniwa Ward, adjacent to Chuo Ward, where the Dotonbori district is located. During police questioning after the arrest for alleged murder, the suspect said he initially intended to intimidate the victims with a knife but stabbed one of them in the chest area as the man came close to him. Iwasaki denied intent to kill, the sources said. Seven or eight people, including Kamada, were at the scene at the time of the incident, according to the sources. Iwasaki is said to have frequented a nearby area, which is a gathering spot for young people. The police are investigating his relationship with the victims and the circumstances leading up to the attack. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]