Two armed men broke into an elementary school in Tokyo on Thursday, injuring five staff members in a rare outbreak of violence in Japan, a country known for its low crime rates and strict gun control laws.
No students were harmed in the incident.
The attack occurred in a classroom at a school in western Tokyo, where children aged between 7 and 8 were present.
Local media reported that the assailants smashed windows and allegedly fired shots randomly before being detained by authorities. While reports confirmed that five school employees sustained minor injuries, no children were physically harmed.
Emergency response teams and police officers quickly surrounded the school premises. Footage from local news networks showed a heavy security and medical presence as concerned onlookers gathered outside.
The school, Tachikawa Daisan Elementary, hosts over 500 pupils and employs more than 30 staff members, according to its official website.
This alarming event follows a separate knife attack the previous evening in Tokyo’s subway system, where two people were injured. These back-to-back incidents have unsettled many in Japan, where violent crimes, particularly involving weapons, are exceptionally rare.
Japan enforces some of the world’s strictest firearm regulations, and mass violence is uncommon.
However, the country has faced several high-profile attacks in recent years, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2022, who was fatally shot with a homemade gun during a campaign speech.
Authorities are investigating the motives behind Thursday’s school attack as the nation continues to grapple with these unusual acts of violence.
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