Employee stabbed to death at Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo; perpetrator suspected of stalking dies by suicide

An employee of Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, inside the Sunshine City complex in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, has died after a man previously arrested for stalking her entered the store with a knife. The perpetrator went behind the counter where the employee was working, stabbed her, then stabbed himself in the neck. Both later died at a hospital from their injuries.

The emergency call came in at about 7:15 PM on March 26th, with shocked bystanders reporting, “a person with a knife is rampaging inside the Pokémon Center. A man and a woman are lying on the ground bleeding.” Other witnesses described the sound of screaming and shelves being tipped over. Sugamo Police reviewed security footage from inside the Pokémon Center, stating that the man stabbed the woman and then himself behind the counter, with no other injuries reported.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) is investigating the incident as a murder. The department had previously received complaints from the victim that the perpetrator was stalking her. TMPD had issued a restraining order against him and arrested him for violating Japan's Anti-stalking Act, which mostly concerns unwanted contact through texting, calling, and other virtual means. Apparently, TMPD checked in regularly with the victim, who did not report any recent stalking behavior.

Bystanders report that about 100 people were inside the Pokémon Center at the time of the attack, including many families with children and international tourists. One witness reported fleeing from the store as he heard a woman crying for help, and another stated to local news, “I can't believe something like this happened.”

Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo and its adjoining Pikachu Sweets café will be closed until further notice. The Pokémon Company released a statement, which notes they are “prioritizing [their] full cooperation with the police and the physical and mental well-being of [their] staff.”

 

Damn! People are crazy nowadays!

 

I express my condolences to the employee. I hope the Pokémon Center and the company recovers soon.

 

This is absolutely horrible. May the employee rest in peace, and may the perpetrator burn in hell for eternity.

 

Poor woman...

 

Oh my god! Last I heard she was unconscious, finding out that she died is horrific... my heart goes out to her and her family.

 

Oh my goodness...
My condolences to the family...

 

What's wrong with people these days? Kids are traumatized and a popular store and cafe are shut down to the disappointment of tourists because of stalking!?

 

Oh my God...

 

What's wrong with people these days? Kids are traumatized and a popular store and cafe are shut down to the disappointment of tourists because of stalking!?

i'm gonna go ahead and say the murder suicide was the problem and not the stalking, but...

 

Rest in peace. ご冥福をお祈りします。