A 19-year-old woman was fatally stabbed Monday morning in Tokyo's Taito Ward, police said, adding that they were looking for a man who was seen running from the scene.
Mayuko Ogawa, a second-year student at Toita Women's College, was pronounced dead soon after being rushed to a hospital, police said. She had been stabbed in the stomach two or three times with a sharp weapon.
Police were alerted at around 10:40 a.m. on Monday by a local resident who reported seeing a young man sitting on the woman and stabbing her with a knife in the Hanakawado area of the ward.
The witness told police that she pursued the suspect but lost sight of him as he ran down a street that hugged the banks of Sumida River. The suspect, apparently in his 20s, was about 170 cm to 175 cm tall, wearing a brown hat and a brown or white checkered shirt.
Although Ogawa had a shoulder bag, nothing appeared to have been stolen, police said, adding that she was on her way to see a friend who was taking part in a Brazilian jujitsu match.