Man kills head of Tokyo foster home he used to live in

Police arrested Monday a 22-year-old man for allegedly stabbing to death the head of a foster home in Tokyo where the man used to live, with the suspect saying he wanted revenge against the facility.

Hitoshi Tahara was arrested at the crime scene for attempted murder after the police received an emergency call from the facility around 1:50 p.m. The home's chief, Shinya Omori, 46, was confirmed dead after being taken to hospital. The suspect has admitted to stabbing Omori, telling investigators he resented the time he spent at the foster home and wanted to attack anyone working there, according to the police. Tahara lived in the Wakakusaryo facility in Shibuya Ward for three years until he was 18. He left in March 2015.

Surveillance camera footage shows Tahara entering the building through an unlocked door on the first floor around five minutes before the emergency call to police. The police believe he headed directly to Omori's room on the same floor. The children in the facility were safe as they were in their rooms on the second and third floors, the police said. About 30 children live at the facility, which has about 30 staff, according to its website. It provides foster care to children under 18.

Omori co authored a book about supporting the independence of children raised in foster homes that was published in 2015. "Omori always thought about children seriously," said Somei Muto, his longtime friend who manages similar facilities. "I can't accept his death at all. I can't believe it." Japan has about 600 foster homes in which 25,000 children reside.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-kills-head-of-tokyo-foster-home-he-used-to-live-in