Japan Mulls Tighter Knife Laws in Wake of Stabbings

Predictably, the Japanese government is now looking to tighten its knife laws after the multiple stabbing deaths by a knife-wielding killer last week.

Reuters has the story:

TOKYO (Reuters) - Families and friends mourned the seven people killed in a stabbing attack on a busy Tokyo shopping street as Japan's cabinet ministers discussed tightening knife regulations on Wednesday.

Tomohiro Kato, a disaffected 25-year-old factory worker, is suspected of driving a truck into a group of pedestrians, then getting out and stabbing random passers-by with a 12.5 cm (5 inch) double-edged dagger he bought at a military goods store.

…

Media raised questions over the sale of military-style knives in Japan, which prides itself on its relatively low crime rates, and about whether the attack could have been prevented after Kato posted warnings on a website.

"I have learned that there is an amazing variety of knives in circulation," top government spokesman Nobutaka Machimura told reporters when asked about regulations on military-style knives.

He called a meeting of relevant cabinet ministers later in the day to discuss ways of preventing a recurrence.

If the article is accurate, the murderer used a knife with a mere five inch blade. Are the Japanese going to ban all knives with five inch or longer blades? Or just the evil-looking "military-style" ones? Sigh.