The Architect Who Lost It and Went on a Massive Killing Spree

He rammed his car into a crowd then started stabbing them.

“No matter what I do, it always fails”

-Yasuaki Uwabe

We all have bad days. Sometimes no matter how hard we try to make things work, life doesn’t go as plan. But what happens when things start going so bad that you start blaming society and the people around you for your failures. What if you are not only dealing with troubles from your life, but also an internal struggle. Your mental illness creates in you, feelings of despair, anger, and defeat.

This is the story of a man named Yasuaki Uwabe. A man whose life started off great. He was top in his class, knew what he wanted to do with his life, and had parents who supported him. But as life went on, and his phobia of people and relationships started isolating him, he started getting frustrated. So frustrated that it cost him his career, family, and freedom.

Yasuaki ended up driving a car into a train station running over people along the way. Then he got out of the car and started stabbing strangers at random. Why did he decide to take out his rage on strangers? What led him to the breaking point? And what happened to him after he was captured?

Life of Yasuaki

Born in 1964 in Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan, Yasuaki had a well-educated and supportive childhood. He and his sister lived with his parents in a home in Shimonoseki City which is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Surrounded by oceans and mountains, the scenic area is famous for the Japanese pufferfish or fugu.

Both of Yasuaki’s parents were teachers and learning and education were an important part of the family. Because of this environment, Yasuaki was actually at the top of his school when he graduated high school and even went to study architecture at the Kyushu University, Faculty of Engineering. After working so hard at school, he decided he wanted to enjoy his university life and make friends.

However, once he got into university, he realized he lacked social skills and had trouble finding friends. He often felt people hated him and started having fears of socializing. Even after graduating from university, his phobia continued and he found it difficult to find a job.

In Japan, job hunting season begins before graduation and everyone usually has a job lined up for April year start. Students attend orientations, interviews, and company events to dazzle the management and confirm a place in the company. But in 1987 while job hunting, this was hard for Yasuaki. He talked to his parents and they admitted him to a mental hospital in 1988 in hopes to help him with his fears.

While receiving some counseling, Yasuaki attempted to find work at several places. But they were never really a good fit. Finally, he found a job at the design office in Fukuoka city which was only him and his director. With little human interaction required, Yasuaki was able to handle the job as well as continue his qualifications to become a first-class architect.

In 1992, he decided to open up his own design office. With the help of his father, he started his own firm and slowly started building his life and career. In 1993, he decided to visit a marriage counseling office. These offices usually help men and women who are looking for marriage to find a partner. Similar to the dating apps of now, these companies match people based on personality traits, desired features, and future goals.

Using this service, he was able to find a woman who worked in childcare who also possessed a second-class architect license. They were married in 1993 and she worked alongside him in his company Yasuaki Designs.

Yasuaki’s Life Comes Crumbling Down

Having a wife and a business seemed like Yasuaki was doing well but his anxiety and phobia of personal relationships continued to hinder his career. With few clients, business was suffering and Yasuaki was only making ends meet from the money his wife earned from her side childcare business and from the money he received from his parents. After his honeymoon in New Zealand with his wife, he started thinking about starting a new life there.

In 1998 he closed his office and returned to living with his parents. That same year, his wife decided to go to New Zealand ahead of Yasuaki. While his wife was in New Zealand, Yasuaki started a freight transport business and got money from his parents as well as loans to purchase a truck.

In a twist of events, Yasuaki’s wife returned to Japan in June 1999 but wanted a divorce. She said, “I’m not confident I can continue a marriage with you so please divorce me.” He was shocked and tried to persuade her to continue in their marriage but she refused and they ended up getting divorced. But despite their divorce, Yasuaki decided he wanted to move to New Zealand alone.

However, on September 24, a big typhoon struck Japan, and the truck he was using for his business was damaged and broke down. Yasuaki was in debt and didn’t have any money for his move to New Zealand. He asked his father for a loan but his father refused. Instead, he offered Yasuaki his car to continue his business and pay off the loans himself.

The Crime

With the end of his design business, divorce with his wife, and loss of his truck, Yasuaki felt crushed. Feeling he was hated by everyone around him and that society was out to get him, he decided he was tired of trying. Instead, he decided that he wanted to die. But first, he wanted to damage the society that damaged his life.

Just a few weeks before on September 8th, Yasuaki had seen on the news the story of a man in Ikebukuro, Tokyo who attacked many people using a knife and hammer. The man, who was unemployed, was angry that he couldn’t find a job and went on a rampage outside the station.

On September 28th, Yasuaki bought an 18 cm (7 inches) kitchen knife from a hardware store in Shimonoseki City. He also drove around the station deciding where he would begin his attack. Unlike the September 8th rampage, Yasuaki felt running people over with a car and then stabbing people at random would be easier and be able to hurt more people. He planned to carry out his attack on October 3rd but moved the date up to September 29th because his parents wanted him to take care of his issues with his damaged truck.

At 1:00 pm on Wednesday, September 29, 1999, Yasuaki rented a white Mazda, took over 120 sleeping pills, and drove the car towards Shimonoseki Station. At 4:20 as the streets and shops outside Shimonoseki station were busy with students, seniors, and business people heading to the station, the white Mazda broke through the glass of the station at high speed and started running over people at the station.

Yasuaki ran over seven people before the car stopped at the ticket gate. From there, Yasuaki got out of the car and started stabbing people randomly. He ended up stabbing 8 people in total before the police cornered and apprehended him.

In the end, two people died from his car attack, and three more died from stab wounds. Ten others were seriously injured but recovered from their injuries.

The white car Yasuaki used in the attack (Source: jiji.com)

Arrest and Sentencing

As Yasuaki exited the car, headed past the ticket gate, and all the way to the platforms where people were waiting for the trains, police were able to quickly surround and apprehend him.

After being arrested, Yasuaki confessed but made remarks such as he was given “God’s instructions” and that he wanted to damage society before killing himself. He was given psychological examinations to see if he was competent enough to stand trial.

The defense argued that Yasuaki had a “delusional disorder close to schizophrenia” and had a diminished mental capacity. They wanted an acquittal or at least a reduction of his sentence.

But, the prosecutors, however, argued that although Yasuaki suffered from, “reactive depression due to a personality disorder,” it had no effect on his criminal liability. Based on his ability to choose the location beforehand, buy a knife, and plan the crime, there was no indication that he was not able to judge right from wrong.

Yasuaki was charged and convicted for various crimes including, the murder of five, attempted murder and injuring of 10, destruction of property, and others. He was sentenced to death in 2002. He appealed in 2005 to the Hiroshima High Court but the sentence was upheld.

He once again appealed to the Supreme Court in 2008 pleading that his crime was based on “delusions that he had been persecuted by society and all self-control had been lost.” The Supreme Court rejected the idea that he was insane. The Judge said, ‘‘The defendant, under thorough preparations and a firm will to kill, staged an indiscriminate attack on innocent people at the station that is extremely atrocious.”

On March 29, 2012, the death penalty for Yasuaki Uwabe was executed at the Hiroshima Detention Center.

In many cases, the criminal fails to get any support or treatment for mental illness and often has a traumatic childhood filled with abuse or poverty which leads to future crime. Shockingly, in this case, Yasuaki had a typical childhood, a good education, supportive parents, and therapy for his mental illness. Yet, he wasn’t able to overcome his phobia and issues.

Instead, he started blaming society and feeling like everyone was out to get him. The pressures of his life and job created an atmosphere of anger and resentment until Yasuaki felt he had no choice but to “damage society.”

Was the counseling or support he was getting earlier in his life continuing into his adult life? Most likely not. Had he sought out therapy and medication when his feelings of frustration resurfaced, he might have been able to control his negative thoughts. Whether it was a temporary moment of rage or a slow spark that led to his explosive outburst we will never know. But this crime will always be remembered as one of the sad and shocking cases of random violence.

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