Police officers rushed to the scene of an assault Saturday and arrested a suspect after witnessing the crime via a surveillance video camera system mounted in the Kabukicho entertainment district of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, police officials said.
A 26-year-old man who says he is from Greece is suspected of attacking a man who claims to be a 34-year-old French national with a samurai sword around 5:20 a.m., they said. The attacker was held on suspicion of attempted murder.
The victim sustained injuries to his head and shoulder. The police did not disclose either of their names.
The Metropolitan Police Department said it is the third time officers have apprehended a suspect with the help of footage from the video camera system.
The MPD placed 50 surveillance cameras around the district in February as part of its efforts to fight crime in the area.
The cameras, controlled from the MPD's Shinjuku Police Station, are intended to help the police keep a close eye on the streets of the nation's largest adult entertainment district, which has become the scene of an increasing number of violent crimes.
Signs in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean are mounted at all 50 sites stating that surveillance cameras are in operation.
MPD officials said the videotapes, recorded at the MPD headquarters, are used for police investigative work and are usually erased after about a week.
According to the MPD, the number of violent crimes in Kabukicho is 185 times the average in the Tokyo metropolitan area, in relation to its geographical size.