Police have confirmed that the suspect in a murder in Tokyo's busy Takadanobaba district Tuesday kept stabbing the female victim with a knife for more than a minute, it was learned Friday.
The Metropolitan Police Department believes that the suspect, Kenichi Takano, 42, had developed a grudge against the victim, Airi Sato, 22.
Takano has claimed that he had a financial issue with Sato, adding that he wanted to make the public know what she had done to him, investigative sources said.
According to the Tokyo police, Takano approached Sato and jumped out at her from the side while she was livestreaming a video in Takadanobaba around 9:50 a.m. Tuesday.
He kept stabbing her for more than a minute. There were more than 30 stab wounds on her body, mainly in the upper part.
Takano attacked her with a survival knife with a blade of about 13 centimeters long. Another knife was also found in Takano's backpack.
"I bought them online two or three months ago," he was quoted as telling investigators.
Takano became acquainted with Sato after he began watching her videos in December 2021. They started meeting directly in summer 2022.
He has claimed that he sent Sato more than ¥2 million for living and other expenses at her request but that she did not return the money.
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