With regard to the murderous rampage in Akihabara, this type of bizarre behavior has been frequently noted among people who are under the influence of selective seretonin re-uptake inhibitors, such as Prozac. Many of the school and workplace shootings in America, for example, have been carried out by people who had been prescribed these types of medications.
I hope The Japan Times will consider investigating this potential source of the problem in Japan.
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