No Filipinos were among the nine people injured when a 21-year-old driver drove his mini car into a busy shopping street in Tokyo, Japan on New Year’s Day, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The incident happened on Takeshita St., one of Tokyo’s fashion districts located in Harajuku. Four individuals are reportedly in serious condition.
The suspect, who identified himself as Kazuhiro Kusakabe, was immediately nabbed by authorities on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police found a plastic tank containing kerosene in the rented vehicle that had an Osaka license number.
The suspect reportedly told investigators that he planned to drive into Meiji Shrine, a site filled with people making wishes for the coming year.
However, the suspect could not enter the shrine because the area was closed to vehicular traffic, and instead drove to the nearby Takeshita St., which was also teeming with New Year revelers. (Roy Mabasa)
