25-6-2023 (TOKYO) Panic ensued on Sunday afternoon when passengers on a train in central Tokyo were forced to evacuate after a man was seen carrying a knife. Three people were injured in the ensuing rush to exit the train.
According to reports, police received an emergency call stating that a person with a knife was on a train car at Shinjuku Station on the Yamanote loop line. The suspect, believed to be a foreign national, was apprehended by police and taken to a nearby station for questioning.
The man claimed to be a cook, explaining that he had been on his way home from work when he fell asleep on the train with a towel covering the knife. He stated that the towel slipped off during his nap, causing the knife to be exposed.
As a result of the incident, the Yamanote Line trains were suspended for approximately 20 minutes from around 4 p.m.
Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes as passengers frantically tried to exit the train, with some falling and injuring themselves in the process. The Tokyo Fire Department confirmed that three individuals were hurt while evacuating the train, but their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
East Japan Railway, which operates the Yamanote Line, stated that a passenger had pressed the emergency button on the train just before it arrived at Shinjuku Station, prompting the evacuation.
