The Kanagawa Prefectural Government decided Friday to raze and rebuild the Sagamihara care home that became the scene of Japan's worst mass killing in postwar history.
The prefectural government held a meeting the same day to discuss ways to protect and revitalize the Tsukui Yamayuri En facility for people with disabilities and how to complete the task while the residents are inside.
On July 26, former employee Satoshi Uematsu broke into the facility and went on a stabbing spree that killed 19 residents and left 27 wounded.
Because the traumatic event has made it difficult to continue using the facility, the prefecture decided to rebuild it from the ground up.
The operator of the facility and the residents' kin submitted a request to that effect to Kanagawa Gov. Yuji Kuroiwa on Sept. 12.