PAA Japanese father who allegedly killed his son over fears he would carry out a mass murder says he had no choice.
Hideaki Kumazawa, 76, is accused of fatally stabbing his 44-year-old son, Eiichiro, at their home in Tokyo on June 1.
Kumazawa, a former top bureaucrat of the agriculture ministry, reportedly claims to have carried out the murder to prevent his ‘violent’ son from carrying out a stabbing rampage similar to one which happened just days before.
PAThe case against 76-year-old Kumazawa was sent to prosecutors on June 3, two days after the murder happened, The Asahi Shimbun reports.
On the morning of June 1, Eiichiro reportedly became irritated by sounds coming from a nearby elementary school and subsequently lost his temper after Kumazawa warned him against becoming aggravated.
Investigative sources close to the case said the father told police:
I had to prevent my eldest son from killing or injuring children. I thought that I had to prevent him from turning his anger against the children.
The father referenced the May 28 massacre in Kawasaki, in which two people – a Foreign Ministry diplomat and an 11-year-old girl – were murdered and 18 others were injured. Most of the victims were elementary school children.
PAAccording to police, Kumazawa stabbed Eiichiro in the chest and other parts of his body several times with a kitchen knife at around 3.30pm on June 1.
The father phoned police ten minutes later, after which they arrived at his house and found the son on his back on a mattress on the first floor.
After the son died in hospital, police arrested Kumazawa on suspicion of murder, finding a handwritten note by the 76-year-old which read: ‘There is no other way except to kill him.’
Because the 51-year-old suspect who killed himself after the May 28 attack was described as a recluse, Kumazawa reportedly believed his own son would carry out a similar attack because he too was a recluse.
PexelsThe father was quoted by the Metropolitan Police Department as saying his son ‘tended to confine himself at home’ and ‘sometimes committed violent acts’ against him and his wife.
At the time of his death, Eiichiro had been living with his parents after moving into their home in May.
Residents living nearby said they didn’t know the couple had a son.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).