Airi Sato, a 22-year-old Japanese streamer, was murdered in broad daylight while livestreaming in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The news was reported on Wednesday by Japanese media outlets such as NHK and Kyodo News.
The attack took place on Tuesday morning in the Takadanobaba district while Sato was walking and streaming on a platform. At that moment, a man assaulted her with a 13-centimeter knife, stabbing her multiple times in the neck, chest, face, and abdomen, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
The attacker, identified as 42-year-old Kenichi Takano, was arrested at the scene with two knives in his possession. During interrogation, he admitted that he had traveled from Oyama, in Tochigi Prefecture, after seeing an announcement that Sato would be livestreaming while traveling along the Yamanote train line. According to his statement, he used the livestream to track her location and find her. Police have not ruled out the possibility that he premeditated the attack.
Sato suffered dozens of stab wounds, leading investigators to conclude that Takano acted with a strong intent to kill. Initially, he was arrested on attempted murder charges, but the accusation was later upgraded to murder after the victim’s death was confirmed at the hospital.
A witness, a 52-year-old taxi driver, reported seeing the attacker recording a video of Sato’s bloodied body while kicking her in the head. “He seemed calm, just kept kicking her without saying a word. I thought it was strange,” he said with a trembling voice.
Another witness, 31-year-old construction worker Shuhei Kanzaki, stated that he saw the attacker take Sato’s phone and start recording the crime scene. “When the police arrived, he simply raised his hands and said, ‘It’s me.’ I didn’t think he was the attacker because he was too calm,” Kanzaki said, still shocked by what had happened.
The knife used in the attack was found near Takano, while a second knife was discovered in his backpack. Police continue to investigate the case, particularly regarding a possible financial dispute and the level of premeditation involved.
Sato’s murder has shocked Japan, a country where knife attacks are rare. The fact that the crime was livestreamed, along with the attacker’s behavior, has sparked significant public outrage and debate on social media.
Takano told police that he had been in a financial dispute with Sato since 2022, after he began lending her money following their initial meeting in 2021 through her online broadcasts. According to his statement, he gave her over 2 million yen (approximately 12,400 euros) to cover phone bills and living expenses but never got his money back.
He also claimed that he took out loans from financial companies to continue sending her money and that the issue had been reported to the police in the past without reaching a resolution.
