Tachikawa Municipal Daisan Elementary School, left, is seen in Tachikawa, Tokyo, on May 8, 2025, after two men allegedly entered the school and began attacking staff. The area was closed off by the police. (Mainichi/Yuga Matsumoto)
TOKYO — Two men suspected of breaking into an elementary school in the Japanese capital and attacking staff are facing new accusations of inflicting bodily injury and trespassing, upgraded from assault.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) renewed the accusations on May 9 before sending the case to the Tachikawa branch of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
The two suspects, one in his 40s and one in his 20s, allegedly entered Tachikawa Municipal Daisan Elementary School on May 8 at around 10:55 a.m. and attacked staff members. The older suspect allegedly attacked a male teacher in his 40s, while the younger suspect assulted the school’s principal, a man in his 60s, in a second-floor classroom. The victims reportedly sustained injuries on their faces and elsewhere after being punched.
According to the MPD, the incident resulted in injuries to a total of five school employees, including the principal, who had attempted to restrain the suspects near the classroom. One teacher in his 50s suffered a broken nose, while the remaining four sustained minor injuries.
Sources close to the matter said the incident occurred after a woman in her 30s, whose child attends the school, visited the facility on the morning of May 8 to bullying concerns. After talks with the administration failed to reach a resolution, the mother allegedly returned later accompanied by the acquaintance, the man in his 40s, and the other suspect. Authorities believe disagreements over how the school handled bullying complaints led to the assault.
Police have withheld the identities of the two suspects to protect the privacy of the child involved.
(Japanese original by Kengo Suga, Yuka Asahina and Yuga Matsumoto, Tokyo City News Department)
AloJapan.com