43-year-old man arrested over Kitakyushu McDonald's stabbings

Police arrested a 43-year-old man on Thursday on suspicion of stabbing two junior high school students at a McDonald’s in the city of Kitakyushu on Saturday, with one of the victims dying from her injuries.

Masanori Hirabaru, an unemployed resident of Kokuraminami Ward — the same area where the attack took place — was taken into police custody at around 10 a.m. on an initial charge of attempted murder of the 15-year-old boy who survived the attack.

Hirabaru has admitted to the charge. However, he has yet to disclose any information about his motive. The weapon used in the attack has not yet been found.

Security camera footage showed Hirabaru arriving at the scene in a car and fleeing in the same vehicle. In a news conference on Thursday, police highlighted that surveillance footage was key to his arrest, saying data from over a hundred dashcams were analyzed during the investigation.

Authorities said Hirabaru did not know the victims, and the seemingly random nature of the crime has led police to suspect that it was a "thrill killing," according to a report by NTV.

Saaya Nakashima, 15, and a male classmate, also 15, were on their way home from cram school on Saturday when they entered the McDonald’s at around 8 p.m. After securing a table, the pair joined a queue to order at the counter.

The attack unfolded in mere seconds. Surveillance footage appears to show that shortly after 8:25 p.m., Hirabaru, armed with a knife, entered the fast-food restaurant through an entrance facing a national highway.

Without speaking, he walked directly to the two teens, who were standing at the end of the line, and lunged at them, stabbing Nakashima in the stomach and the boy in the back. He then fled through the same doorway and headed north.

Investigators said Hirabaru was inside the restaurant for less than 30 seconds. The absence of defensive wounds on the victims suggests the attack happened so quickly that they had no time to react.

The two or three customers standing in line in front of the teens did not witness the incident and did not even see Hirabaru due to the brevity of the attack.

Staff called emergency services, and both students were rushed to a nearby hospital. Nakashima, who sustained a deep stab wound to her abdomen, died of blood loss about 90 minutes later. The male student, who was stabbed in the back, survived but suffered a deep stab wound.

"I have no idea who stabbed me," he told investigators at the time.

The arrest follows an intensive search that also saw escalated security measures being implemented across the area. Police patrols in Kitakyushu’s Kokuraminami Ward, where the attack occurred, were bolstered to involving as many as 250 officers daily Wednesday, up from the usual 150.

Surveillance was also tightened around Kokura Station and nearby entertainment districts, which attract large crowds.

City officials also mobilized additional resources to ensure public safety. On Thursday, roughly 1,000 city employees joined patrols during school commuting hours to protect children and reassure parents.

Residents in the area have found reassurance from news of Hirabaru's arrest.

"It’s a relief. Now I can feel safe letting my grandchildren go outside," said a woman in her 60s who was at the McDonald's where the incident took place on Thursday.

A 17-year-old high school student who lives nearby shared similar sentiments. "I was worried because I live so close, so I’m glad they caught him," he said.

"But there’s so much we don’t know," he added, expressing hope that the suspect’s motive would be uncovered soon.

Police are continuing their investigation into Hirabaru’s motive and the circumstances surrounding the attack.