The grandparents of Ryunosuke Kamada share their feelings about their grandson during an interview with the Mainichi Shimbun in Nara Prefecture on Feb. 16, 2026. (Mainichi/Takashi Kawachi)
The grandparents of a 17-year-old boy who was stabbed to death by a man in Osaka’s Dotonbori entertainment district over the weekend shared their heart-wrenching sorrow during a Feb. 16 interview with the Mainichi Shimbun.
“He excelled in sports, was devoted to his family and was our proud grandson,” the grandparents of Ryunosuke Kamada said.
Kamada, a company employee from Tawaramoto, Nara Prefecture, and two other boys were attacked with a knife in a multitenant building in Osaka’s Chuo Ward late on Feb. 14, leaving him dead and the two others injured.
After quitting high school, Kamada worked hard at his new job while helping his grandparents on a farm they run on weekends. The grandparents hoped he would take over their business in the future. “We never thought of having to part with him in such a way. We can’t come to terms with it,” one of the grandparents told the Mainichi.
On Feb. 15, Osaka Prefectural Police arrested Ryoga Iwasaki, 21, an unemployed resident of Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Ward, on suspicion of murder over the stabbing.
The eldest of three siblings, Kamada was the first male of his grandparents’ seven grandchildren. He had been a good runner since childhood, and he started playing soccer with a local team when he was in the second grade. He never missed practice and would perform well through his efforts and inherent athletic ability. His grandparents would come to watch every single game he played to cheer him on.
When he was in the second year of junior high school, Kamada joined a soccer powerhouse in Nara Prefecture after passing a test. He always wore number 18, as the number eight is said to be auspicious when written as a kanji character. “My car license plate also contains 18,” his grandfather, 69, said, noting that the figure had become the family’s lucky number.
Kamada advanced to a private high school in Kyoto Prefecture at the invitation of a team manager. He tackled subjects he struggled with and was accepted through the general entrance examination.
An apology to his grandparents after quitting HS
Kamada’s school life was fulfilling, with soccer at its center, but after entering high school, he struggled to fit into the environment and was soon often absent. His grandfather encouraged him, but found it hard to see his grandson so worn out.
The teen was felt compelled to quit school in the fall of his first year. “I’m sorry to have to quit even though you’ve supported me,” Kamada told his grandparents when he visited them to apologize. The grandparents encouraged him to follow his own path.
Kamada subsequently landed a garbage collection job at a cleaning company in the city of Nara at the introduction of a friend, while helping with the family farm on weekends.
“I can’t let my grandpa push himself too hard,” Kamada would remark. He did weeding and field maintenance without a single complaint, even though he must have been exhausted from his weekday physical labor.
“Although he quit high school, I’d never imagined I’d be able to farm with my grandchild this soon,” one of the grandparents recounted. Though they never said it, they believed he would take over the family business in the future.
Just as the family was planning to introduce a drone for spraying agricultural chemicals this coming spring, Kamada also obtained a drone operator’s license together with his family. “It truly made me happy, as there are many people struggling with a lack of successors,” his grandfather reflected.
He had last seen his grandson when he came to his farm in January. “Grandpa, it was tough again today,” Kamada jokingly said. His grandfather had never imagined this would be the last smile he would see from him.
As Kamada would sometimes visit Osaka for fun with his friends, his grandfather would warn him, “You’ve got to be careful. It’s dangerous.”
In the predawn hours of Feb. 15, shortly after the incident, Kamada’s father called the grandpa, saying, “Something terrible has happened. I’m sorry for not being able to protect Ryu’s life.” The reality of his death has not sunk in for his grandfather, still unable to come to terms with it.
The teen’s body has been sent for a judicial autopsy, and his grandfather hasn’t been able to see him yet. “I want to see him as soon as possible,” his grandfather said, forcing out the words as he thought of the grandson who supported his family so much.
“I want to tell him, ‘I will do my best for both you and me.’ Please protect me,” the grandfather said.
(Japanese original by Takashi Kawachi, Osaka City News Department)
AloJapan.com