Woman Slashes Kindergarten Teacher in Tokyo

A woman with a kitchen knife forced her way into a Tokyo kindergarten on Tuesday, slashing and wounding a teacher before fleeing, officials said.

The teacher, a 23-year-old woman, was cut on her hands and leg before the attacker fled, according to a police spokeswoman. The teacher was taken to the hospital, but her injuries were minor.

The school was not yet open for the day, and there were no children near the school's back gate, where the early morning attack occurred. Police said the attacker was believed to be a middle-aged woman.

Reports said she may also have attacked the teacher with a stick. No other details were available, and the motive was unknown. The attacker was still at large, several hours after the attack.

The kindergarten, attended by about 200 children, was closed after the incident and arriving children were sent home, said school official Naoko Ezawa.

Tuesday's slashing comes during heightened concern over the safety of Japan's schools, following the slaughter of the eight first- and second-grade children at a prestigious elementary school in a suburb of Osaka, in western Japan, less than two weeks






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