Japanese hostage taker, 86, ‘had grudge’ with post office
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Mr Tsuneo Suzuki, the 86-year-old suspected gunman who took hostages and barricaded himself, being taken to a police station in Warabi City, Saitama Prefecture, on Oct 31.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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TOKYO - Police in Japan are probing the motives of an 86-year-old man who took two women hostage in a post office after reportedly setting his home on fire earlier.
He was also involved in an incident of shooting into a hospital.
Two people were wounded at the hospital in Saitama, outside Tokyo, while the two hostages were unharmed after an eight-hour ordeal at the hands of the irate pensioner on Tuesday.
Media reports on Wednesday said the man, Mr Tsuneo Suzuki, had a grudge against the postal service and was also angry with a doctor at the hospital.
“He demanded to police officers at the scene that he wanted to see a specific someone,” a Saitama police spokesman said, adding that an investigation was ongoing.
In addition to a handgun attached to a cord around his neck, Mr Suzuki reportedly had with him two knives, an 18-litre container and two bottles containing an unspecified liquid, according to major media outlets, including TV Asahi network.
He confirmed to the police that he was behind the hospital shooting, which resulted in two injuries, and the fire at an apartment where he lived, local media said.
Broadcaster NTV said Mr Suzuki told the police he had “shot” a gun at the hospital and “burned my house”.
The Asahi Shimbun said Mr Suzuki told the police he “was frustrated” by a meeting with a doctor at the hospital, and had a grudge against the post office over a traffic accident.
The eight-hour post office showdown lasted until after 10pm on Tuesday, with live television pictures showing the building surrounded by police cars with flashing lights.
Crime rates are exceedingly low and gun violence nearly non-existent in Japan, which has some of the toughest firearms laws in the world.
The police finally arrested Mr Suzuki after one of the hostages was released and the other managed to leave the building on her own.
Earlier in the day, a man was seen firing a gun at Todachuo General Hospital, injuring two people, reportedly a doctor and a patient.
Before that, a fire started at Mr Suzuki’s apartment in the city of Toda, near the post office.
Neighbours described him as a friendly man who lived alone.
“I have never seen a gun or anything dangerous inside his room,” The Asahi Shimbun quoted an unnamed friend of Mr Suzuki as saying.
Over one in 10 people in Japan are 80 years or older, and an increasing number of them live alone and lose contact with relatives.
Japan has experienced sweeping cultural and economic changes in recent decades, but the social safety net has failed to keep pace – with the burden still on the family to look after the elderly. AFP
