Saitama school attacker admits to cat mutilations

Saitama School Attack and Cat Mutilations
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Key Details
Location	Toda and Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan
Species Involved	—
Type of Abuse	Animal mutilation, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon
Timeline
Date of Incident	February–March 2023
Date Discovered	—
Date Closed	—
Status & Outcome
Case Status	Perpetrator sentenced to a juvenile training school
Perpetrator	17-year-old male high school student
Aftermath	—

Person of Interest
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Name	Unnamed male high school student
Age	17 (at time of offense)
Occupation	High school student
Known Identifiers	Private
Status	Incarcerated in a juvenile training school
Involvement	Perpetrator of the February 2023 Saitama cat mutilations and the March 1, 2023, attack at Misasa Junior High School.
Punitive Measure	Sent to a juvenile training school for long-term correctional education.

The Saitama School Attack refers to an attempted murder incident at a junior high school in Toda, Saitama, on March 1, 2023, which was directly preceded by a series of animal cruelty acts. The perpetrator, a 17-year-old male high school student, entered the school with the intent to commit indiscriminate murder and was thwarted by a 60-year-old male teacher, who sustained serious injuries. An investigation revealed the student was responsible for a series of cat mutilations in Saitama City during February 2023, which he framed as a prelude to killing a person. The case is a significant example of the criminological theory known as "The Link," which connects animal cruelty to subsequent interpersonal violence.

Precursor: Saitama cat mutilations

In February 2023, a month before the school attack, a series of gruesome discoveries of dismembered cat remains occurred across Saitama City, primarily in the Minami and Sakura wards. The incidents prompted increased police patrols and safety alerts to local schools. The perpetrator's modus operandi involved dismembering the cats with a sharp instrument and deliberately placing the remains in public areas like parks and schoolyards to maximize public shock. Police noted a lack of blood at the discovery sites, indicating the animals were killed elsewhere before their parts were transported and displayed.

Chronology of Cat Mutilation Incidents in Saitama City, February 2023

Date of Discovery	Location	Discovered Remains	Key Forensic Notes
February 13, 2023	Arakawa Saiko Park, Minami Ward	Two front paws of a white cat, placed on a park bench.	Discovered by a park official. The paws appeared to be intentionally and cleanly severed.
February 16, 2023	Arakawa Saiko Park, Minami Ward	A cat's torso, missing its jaw and hind legs.	Found in a wooded area within the same park as the first discovery.
February 17, 2023	Nishi-Urawa Elementary School, Minami Ward	A cat's jaw, hung by a string from a horizontal bar (鉄棒) in the schoolyard.	Discovered by a parent and child. The school was closed early as a result.
February 26, 2023 (AM)	Field in Kanda, Sakura Ward	The lower half of a cat's body, described as "a cat's carcass without a head."	Discovered by a local resident. No bloodstains were found at the scene.
February 26, 2023 (PM)	City road in Okubo Ryoke, Sakura Ward	The upper half of a cat's body.	Found approximately 300 meters from the morning's discovery. Police believe it belonged to the same cat. No bloodstains were present.

The school attack

At around 12:20 PM on March 1, 2023, the 17-year-old suspect rode a bicycle to Toda Municipal Misasa Junior High School (戸田市立美笹中学校). He entered through an unlocked main gate, deliberately choosing the noon hour when he believed students would be concentrated in their classrooms.

The suspect proceeded to the third floor and attempted to force his way into a classroom where 28 students were taking an exam. The exam invigilator, a 60-year-old male teacher, intercepted the intruder, blocking his path. During the ensuing struggle, the suspect stabbed the teacher repeatedly in his arms and abdomen with a knife. Despite his injuries, the teacher fought to restrain the attacker until other staff members arrived to help subdue and disarm him. Police arrested the suspect at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder.

The teacher was hospitalized with serious, non-life-threatening injuries, and no students were physically harmed. He later suffered from long-term effects, including paralysis in his left hand.

Investigation and legal outcome

The perpetrator was identified as a 17-year-old male high school student from Saitama City who had no connection to the school he attacked. His name has not been disclosed per Japanese law protecting juvenile offenders. He told police his motive was a desire to "experience killing" and that he "wanted to kill someone and did not care who it was."

During questioning, the suspect confessed to being responsible for the series of cat killings in February. He stated he had "got tired of killing cats and gradually came to think only of wanting to break a person," explicitly linking the animal cruelty to his attempt at human homicide.

On June 16, 2023, Saitama Prefectural Police formally referred the suspect to prosecutors for violating the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, in addition to the attempted murder charge. This legally codified the connection between his crimes. In September 2023, the Saitama Family Court issued a "protective disposition," sending the teenager to a juvenile training school (少年院送致) for long-term correctional education rather than trying him as an adult.

Aftermath

The attack exposed significant security failures and prompted the Toda City government to initiate a comprehensive overhaul of safety measures at all 18 municipal schools. The reforms included:

• The deployment of qualified security guards at every school.
• Installation of auto-locking gates and camera-linked intercoms for access control.
• Upgrading perimeter fences and expanding surveillance camera coverage.
• Equipping schools with emergency alert systems and providing renewed staff training on defensive equipment like the sasumata (さすまた).

The injured teacher has faced ongoing physical disabilities and has advocated for improved institutional support for school staff who become victims of crime.