# Canonical recap data for Mamoru Takuma (2001)
# Source: https://recap.at/2001/mamoru-takuma
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: mamoru-takuma
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2001/mamoru-takuma"
title: Mamoru Takuma
aliases:
- Ikeda school massacre
- Ikeda elementary school attack
- June 8 Ikeda incident
subtitle: "On this day (06/08), 25 years ago: Mamoru Takuma kills eight and injures 15 in a mass stabbing at an elementary school in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan."
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2001-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2001
decade: 2000
summaryShort: Mamoru Takuma  was a Japanese mass murderer who killed eight children in the Ikeda school massacre in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, on 8 June 2001.
summaryLong: Mamoru Takuma  was a Japanese mass murderer who killed eight children in the Ikeda school massacre in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, on 8 June 2001.
lede: On June 8, 2001, Mamoru Takuma, a 37-year-old former janitor, entered an elementary school in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, armed with a kitchen knife and killed eight children in one of Japan's deadliest school attacks. The massacre sparked nationwide alarm and forced a reckoning with school security practices across the country.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Mamoru_Takuma.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Mamoru Takuma"
importance: 80
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Victims
  value: 8 children killed; 15 people injured
- label: Attacker
  value: Mamoru Takuma, 37 years old
- label: Location
  value: Ikeda Elementary School, Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
- label: Date
  value: June 8, 2001
- label: Weapon
  value: Kitchen knife (approximately 30 cm long)
- label: Duration
  value: Approximately 10 minutes
- label: Attacker background
  value: Former school janitor, recent job termination
- label: Victims' ages
  value: All elementary school children, ages 7-8
timeline:
- date: 2001-06-08
  title: Ikeda Elementary School attack
  description: Mamoru Takuma enters Ikeda Elementary School in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, and attacks students with a kitchen knife, killing 8 children and injuring 15 others before being subdued.
- date: 2001-06-08
  title: Takuma arrested
  description: Mamoru Takuma is arrested at the scene after being restrained by school staff and nearby adults.
- date: 2001-06-09
  title: National shock and media coverage
  description: Japanese media outlets extensively cover the attack; it becomes the lead story across television networks and newspapers nationwide.
- date: 2001-07
  title: Investigation completion
  description: Police complete investigation; Takuma is formally charged with 8 counts of murder.
- date: 2002-04-25
  title: Trial begins
  description: Trial of Mamoru Takuma begins in Osaka District Court.
- date: 2004-03-24
  title: Death sentence handed down
  description: Mamoru Takuma is sentenced to death by the Osaka District Court.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamoru_Takuma"
  title: Mamoru Takuma
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Ikeda massacre exposed vulnerabilities in Japanese school security and became a watershed moment for how the country approached child safety in educational settings. Media coverage and public reaction catalyzed sweeping changes to school access protocols and emergency response procedures nationwide.
categories: []
taxonomy:
domain: social_movement
eventTypes:
- riot
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- collapse
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
metaDescription: Mamoru Takuma killed 8 children in the June 8, 2001 Ikeda school massacre in Osaka, Japan.
wikidataQid: Q4396592
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20051215000000/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamoru_Takuma"
  capturedAt: 2005-12-15
  label: Mamoru Takuma
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamoru_Takuma"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
  voiceType: official
  context: Koizumi issued a statement within hours of the massacre, expressing the government's shock and commitment to school safety.
  excerpt: This is an extremely regrettable incident. We must take all necessary measures to prevent such tragic events from occurring again in our schools.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 88
  attribution: Prime Minister's official statement, June 8, 2001
  publishedAt: 2001-06-08
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Yoshiko Sakurai, education policy analyst
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Sakurai commented on systemic vulnerabilities in Japanese school security exposed by the attack.
  excerpt: Japanese schools have operated with an assumption of safety that may no longer hold. We need to reconsider access controls and staff training without turning schools into fortresses.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Education Today magazine, June 2001
  publishedAt: 2001-06-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Masao Uchibori, eyewitness teacher at Ikeda Elementary School
  voiceType: consumer
  context: A faculty member recounted the chaos and horror immediately following the attack in interviews with media.
  excerpt: We heard screams. Children were running everywhere. In seconds, our ordinary school day became a nightmare we cannot wake from.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 85
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - NHK interview, June 8, 2001
  publishedAt: 2001-06-08
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Yoichi Masuzoe, medical ethicist and public health expert
  voiceType: expert
  context: Masuzoe addressed mental health warning signs and the failure of systems to intervene before the tragedy.
  excerpt: The perpetrator's mental instability was known to authorities. This raises urgent questions about how we identify and support individuals in crisis before violence occurs.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Asahi Shimbun analysis, June 12, 2001
  publishedAt: 2001-06-12
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Takeshi Minakata, parent of Ikeda Elementary student
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Parents voiced demands for accountability and safety reforms in tearful statements to journalists outside the school.
  excerpt: We trusted our school to keep our children safe. That trust is shattered. Nothing will bring them back, but we demand answers and real change.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 82
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Mainichi Shimbun, June 9, 2001
  publishedAt: 2001-06-09
  originalLanguage: en
