Japanese youtuber stabbed during livestream, suspect arrested

Japan has strict gun control laws, making violent crimes rare, but in recent years, the country has seen several high-profile knife attacks and incidents involving handmade weapons.

Japanese police investigators work near the scene of a stabbing of a woman in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. (AP)

Japanese police have arrested a man accused of fatally stabbing a YouTuber while she was livestreaming on a busy Tokyo street.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police said they arrested Kenji Takano, 42, at the scene on Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder. He has since been sent to prosecutors but has not yet been officially charged.

The victim, Airi Sato, 22, was stabbed multiple times in the upper body. She was taken to hospital in critical condition but later died, police said.

Ayer les conte sobre una streamer que fue apuñalada en vivo en Tokio.
El culpable resulto ser un tipo de 42 años llamado Kenichi Takano
Y la fallecida le debía dinero.
Aquí el momento de su arresto.#ChismecitosDeJapon pic.twitter.com/c9PEL3BzKO

— Hikari (@Dj_Hikari) March 13, 2025

Viewers watching her livestream and people nearby reported hearing Sato’s screams for help before the video suddenly went black.

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According to Japanese media, Takano told police he knew Sato through her livestreams and had met her in person several times. They reportedly had a financial dispute, with NHK reporting that he had lent Sato a large sum of money, which she did not repay despite a court order.

Takano allegedly tracked her down after she announced her livestream and travelled from Oyama city, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Tokyo, to Tokyo to confront her. However, he told police he did not intend to kill her.

Japan has strict gun control laws, making violent crimes rare, but in recent years, the country has seen several high-profile knife attacks and incidents involving handmade weapons. Experts believe economic struggles and employment uncertainty may be contributing to such cases.

(with inputs from AP)

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