Residents here expressed shock and anger at the news that a missing 6-year-old girl had been found dead, her body hacked to pieces.
Mirei Ikuta attended the local Nakura City Elementary School, where staff paid tribute.
"I am overcome by extreme grief," said Masahiro Hirai, the headmaster. "It is so sad that I shall never see her again. I feel resentment that her irreplaceable life had to be taken."