Japanese man sentenced to 23 years for 2021 Halloween attack dressed as 'Joker'

Japanese court sentences man to 23 years in jail for attempted murder and train fire incident in Tokyo while dressed as the Joker.

A man was sentenced to 23 years in jail by a Japanese court on Monday for attempted murder and starting a fire on a train in Tokyo while dressed as the comic book villain, the Joker. The Tokyo District Court's Tachikawa branch delivered the verdict for the 2021 Halloween attack, as reported by AFP. The convicted man, Kyota Hattori, 26, stabbed a male passenger in his 70s and attempted to kill 12 others by setting a fire inside the train, according to Jiji Press and other local media sources.

During investigations, Hattori revealed that his intent was to kill people and receive the death penalty. He confessed to spreading lighter fluid in the train to escalate the severity of the attack.

Japan typically has low rates of violent crime, but occasional incidents of stabbings and shootings do occur, including the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in the previous year.

In August 2021, nine people were wounded, with one in critical condition, in a stabbing attack on a commuter train in Tokyo. The perpetrator later surrendered to the authorities after fleeing the scene.

Another separate attack in the same month involved an acid attack at a Tokyo subway station, leaving two individuals with burns.