A memorial service was held Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of a stabbing rampage by an intruder at an elementary school in Osaka Prefecture that left eight children dead, one of the highest-profile murder cases in Japanese history.

With the coronavirus pandemic continuing, relatives, teachers and students attended a scaled-back ceremony at Ikeda Elementary School to remember the tragedy and pledge to keep the school safe.

The eight — seven girls in second grade and a boy in first grade — were fatally stabbed, while 15 others, including two teachers, were injured on June 8, 2001, by perpetrator Mamoru Takuma, who was executed in 2004.