Tomohiro Kato
 | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tomohiro Kato |
| Date of Birth: | 1983 |
| Occupation: | Car Mechanic |
| Ethnicity: | Japanese |
Tomohiro Kato was a a mass murder who killed 7 people and injured 10 with a vehicle ramming attack and knife rampage on June 8, 2008 in Akhihabara, a shopping centre in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, known worldwide as the "Mecca of Otakus". He also was involuntarily celibate without a girlfriend. He rammed into shoppers with a rented two-ton truck and then stabbed 17 people within a few minutes with a large tactical knife, reportedly roaring in anger as he slashed at and stabbed the stunned pedestrians.
At the time, it was the worst mass-killing in Japan since World War II, but it has since been superseded. The attack was allegedly filmed and livestreamed by onlookers, but no video evidence proving this claim exists. He was sentenced to death for his crimes, with the conviction being upheld on appeal in 2015. He was apparently an Otaku himself, like many of his victims. When asked about his preferences in women, he stated that he was "only interested in two-dimensional girlfriends", implying only having sexual interest in female anime characters.[1]
According to Kato, the cause of his inceldom was his ugliness.
Motivation[edit | edit source]
He believed he was due to be fired at his job as an auto-mechanic, with a co-worker reporting that his manager summoned the two of them to a meeting and announced that they were due to be fired by the end of the month of the massacre, despite Kato reportedly being a hard-working and loyal employee of the firm. He had also reportedly been involved in personal conflicts with fellow employees at his workplace. Prior to the massacre, he reportedly caused a scene at his workplace, flying into a rage after discovering his work clothes were missing.
Allegedly, he said following in internet posts prior his attack:
"If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn't have just left my job or be addicted to my cellphone. A man with hope could never understand this."
"I was a kid who had a good reputation with adults. I'm accustomed to playing a good guy. Everybody was tricked so easily."
"I don't have a single friend and I won't in the future. I'll be ignored because I'm ugly. I'm lower than trash because at least the trash gets recycled."
"Oh, I am hopeless ... what I want to do: commit murder. My dream: to monopolize the tabloid TV shows ... I saw a loving couple at a river bank. I wish they were killed by (being) swept away by the river."