Three people stabbed in random attack at bus stop near Japan ski resort
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Suspect, believed to be man in his 40s, remains at large. A man died and two were injured in a stabbing attack at a train station in Nagano, a popular ski resort in central Japan, police said. The incident, suspected to be a random attack with no one targeted in particular, occurred near JR Nagano Station at around 8pm local time on Wednesday.
![[File. Police arrive at the scene after a woman brandished a hammer inside a classroom at Hosei University's Tama campus in Machida in the western suburbs of Tokyo]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/23/05/2192561349.jpg)
The suspect, an unnamed middle-aged man, remained at large, the Kyodo News agency reported. He used a blade-like object to attack three people waiting for a bus near the station, police said. One of them, Hiroyuki Maruyama, a 49-year-old man, was pronounced dead in a hospital. A 37-year-old man was wounded but stayed conscious, while a 46-year-old woman suffered a head injury from falling during the attack.
Maruyama was stabbed on the left side of the abdomen and went into cardiac arrest. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after 10pm. One of the survivors told investigators the suspect was a man of slim build in his 40s who wore pants, a jacket and a white scarf on his head.
Police said they were actively searching for the suspect in connection with charges of murder and attempted murder. A dedicated hotline had been established at the Nagano Central Police Station to provide information about the suspect’s whereabouts.
A witness said the suspect “appeared to be searching for his next target” as he moved around the train station after the attack, the Japan Times reported. “I was with my child, and for a moment, the suspect pointed the knife in our direction. I was completely focused on protecting my family," he said.
