A man was arrested on Thursday over the fatal stabbing of a junior high school student and the wounding of another at a McDonald’s in southwest Japan, local media reported.
Violent crime is rare in Japan, but there are occasional stabbings and even shootings, including the 2022 assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
The teens were in line to order at around 8:30pm on Saturday when the attacker reportedly entered the restaurant in the city of Kitakyushu and wordlessly stabbed them both.
Police have arrested a man in his 40s who lives nearby, public broadcaster NHK and other media outlets said. Officers could not immediately confirm the reports to AFP.
Saaya Nakashima was stabbed in the abdomen and later confirmed dead at a hospital.
The boy, who was stabbed in the waist area and remains in hospital, was quoted as saying they were “stabbed by a complete stranger”.