The Chōfu train attack injured 17 people and prompted Japan to mandate security cameras in all new trains.
Key Facts
- Date
- 31 October 2021, ~8 p.m. JST
- Perpetrator
- Kyota Hattori, age 24
- People injured
- 17 people
- Critical injuries
- 1 person
- Rail line
- Keiō Line, bound for Kokuryō Station
- Perpetrator outcome
- Arrested at the scene
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Kyota Hattori, a 24-year-old man, carried out the attack citing inspiration from a prior stabbing incident on 6 August 2021 in Tokyo. His stated motivation was linked directly to that earlier attack, suggesting a copycat element behind his decision to target a commuter train.
On 31 October 2021, Hattori attacked passengers aboard a Keiō Railway train travelling to Kokuryō Station in Chōfu, western Tokyo, using a knife and committing arson. The attack injured 17 people, one critically. He was apprehended by authorities at the scene without further incident.
Following the attack, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced a requirement for railroad operators to install security cameras in all newly manufactured trains. Hattori was arrested at the scene and subsequently identified by Japanese authorities.