Overview

• The victim, insurance worker Megumi Katayama, 24, was stabbed in her apartment building elevator around 7:20 p.m. on Aug. 20 and died from blood loss.
• Security cameras indicate she was followed for more than 10 minutes and that a man resembling the suspect entered behind her through the auto‑lock entrance.
• Hyogo police say the suspect boarded a Tokyo‑bound Shinkansen from JR Shin‑Kobe shortly after the attack.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Police apprehended Masashi Tanimoto, 35, near JR Okutama on Aug. 22 after a nationwide wanted notice, and police reported slight resistance at the scene.
• After arrest, Tanimoto told investigators he stabbed her once or twice with a knife and said he was unsure about intent, as detectives examine motive and any prior contact.