Deadly knife attack near Tokyo raises alarm on child safety

Women pray for the victims near the site of a knife attack in Kawasaki, near Tokyo Wednesday, May 29, 2019. A man carrying a knife in each hand attacked a group of schoolgirls waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo Tuesday. (Hiroki Yamauchi/Kyodo News via AP)

People pray for victims at the site where a knife attack took place in Kawasaki near Tokyo Wednesday, May 29, 2019. A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming "I will kill you!" attacked a group of schoolgirls near a school bus parked at a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, officials said. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO – Japanese police have raided the home of a man suspected of slashing schoolgirls and others in a deadly knife attack this week that ended with him killing himself.

The attack near Tokyo on Tuesday has raised concerns about how children can be protected on their way to school.

Officials say the knife-brandishing man ran while slashing a group of schoolgirls and their parents walking to or waiting at a bus stop in Kawasaki, killing an 11-year-old girl and a 39-year-old man before fatally slashing himself. At least 17 people were injured.

On Wednesday, police raided the home of the alleged attacker, 51-year-old Ryuichi Iwasaki, in another part of Kawasaki.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged security officials to increase safety measures to protect commuting schoolchildren.

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