Akihabara killer sends apology letter

The man indicted for the fatal stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district last year has sent a letter of apology to one of the victims, saying, "My crime deserves death," informed sources said.

Pen to paper: Tomohito Kato, the defendant in last year's Akihabara slayings, wrote this six-page letter of apology to one of the victims, former taxi driver Hiroshi Yuasa. KYODO PHOTO

In a six-page letter to former taxi driver Hiroshi Yuasa, who was seriously injured in the attack, Tomohito Kato, 27, said, "I believe I will be executed, but I want to explain everything without becoming defiant."

Yuasa, 55, said he felt as if he had seen a ray of light and that he plans to write back in the hope their exchange will help Kato regret his crime more deeply.

"I'm really sorry. I have no way to justify the harm I inflicted," said Kato, who is charged with killing seven people and injuring 10 others during the attack in the famous electronics district.

Kato said he hesitated to write the letter as he was worried it might offend the victims. In the end, he said he "reached the conclusion that I should apologize as a human being."

"Offering an apology just for form is disrespectful. I'm still asking myself whether in writing this if it is a real apology," he wrote.

After ramming a truck into three pedestrians in a congested crosswalk at around 12:30 p.m. on June 8, 2008, Kato took out a dagger and started stabbing shoppers at random, the indictment said.

Five pretrial proceedings have been held but the date for his trial has not yet been set.

In the letter, Kato did not specifically refer to his motive for the crime.

Kato wrote he wanted to help prevent a similar crime from occurring again "as my way of atoning." He said he believes that preventive measures haven't been taken because the truth behind past incidents has not been clarified.

"As he has sent me a letter, I think I can finally see his real face," said Yuasa, who was stabbed in the abdomen while trying to rescue one of the pedestrians run over by Kato.

"By reading the tidily written text, I wondered why this man committed the incident. Although there are elements that make me think his regret is not enough and his thoughts are naive, it is impressive that he is hoping to uncover the truth in order to avoid another tragic incident," he said.