2019 Tokyo car attack
The 2019 Tokyo car attack was a vehicle-ramming attack that occurred on January 1, 2019, in Tokyo, Japan. 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe told authorities he intentionally rammed into pedestrians crowded into narrow Takeshita Street in Harajuku district as a terrorist attack in retaliation for the execution of Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult members. The New Year's Day attack left eight injured. A ninth person was also directly injured by the driver. Kusakabe said he initially planned an arson attack by spreading kerosene with a high-pressure washer at the crowd at the nearby Meiji Shrine but found that vehicles were not permitted there.
| 2019 Tokyo car attack | |
|---|---|
View from the opposite of Takeshita Street, the site of the attack | |
| Location | Takeshita Street, Tokyo, Japan |
| Date | January 1, 2019 |
| Target | Pedestrians |
Attack type | Vehicle-ramming attack, attempted mass murder |
| Weapon | Daihatsu Move |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 9 |
| Perpetrator | Kazuhiro Kusakabe |
| Motive | Response to an execution of Aleph's cult members. |
| Convictions | Attempted murder |
| Sentence | 18 years in prison |
Kusakabe was subsequently convicted of attempted murder in connection with the attack. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison.