Professor stabbed to death at Chuo University in Tokyo

Wow. Crazy season seems to be continuing.

Come on JT, what did this guy teach?

Jesus. I guess I can offically laugh at the Japanese when they bleat on and on abdout "gaikoku" being dangerous. I have to say though many Japanese folks I've spoken with are alarmed at just how dangerous this country has become over the past few years.

I'm assuming Taro wasn't happy with his grade?? Or maybe he didn't the job he wanted and blames this guy?? Options are endless for excuses.

This sounds a bit like the Japanese academic who translated Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" into Japanese. He was stabbed to death a number of years ago, I believe by persons unknown.

Ok, looks like he was in the electrical engineering department...disgruntled student?

If he was a history professor there might be a few more suspects.

Is this just another typical news day in Japan?

"Is this just another typical news day in Japan?" Well, it's another typical news day on JT, anyway.

Maybe he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Were any of his students missing that day?

Were any of his students missing that day?

If most universities are any indication, yes. But that has no relation to who might've killed him.

I wonder if he bled to death. (As opposed to having an organ sliced up.) If he bled to death it might be because the ambulance paramedics didn't give him a transfusion and waited until he got to the hospital. Even if they did, it might've been too late.

Were any of his students missing that day? If most universities are any indication, yes

Based on what? I think Japanese Universities have in general high attendance.

Anyway, if this was a disgruntled student, he would most likely have been recognized by classmates. My guess is that this was a thief who got caught. Universities have lots of expensive equipment and low security. Either that or a sicko who just wanted to kill someone.

Jesus. I guess I can offically laugh at the Japanese

Jesus had nothing to do with it.

It's a planned murder. The man knows the Professor's movement well.

Didn't something similar take place at another university in the middle of last year? Even the "black coat and cap" description sounds familiar.

A black coat and black cap leave the toilet... Cops could see if there are any fingerprints in the toilet to trace suspect down. This sure is premeditated murder. Lat was a similar case of another professor being killed by the same description of clothing. Could that also be another 'industrial espionage?' Or someone want to borrow his brains for a while.

Whoever it is, that guy is badly so mad at him.

someone didn't pass his exams.

Wow! A lot of offbase comments, but not one single word of condolence for this guy. Let me be the first then. RIP Professor Takakubo. May your attacker be caught and run through the mills for the heinous crime they have just committed.

sabiwabi: And on what are you basing your opininions? I've got loads of friends who teach at universities in Japan and they've said quite the opposite. Attendance is rather miserable and it's difficult to reprimand the students or fail them, even at the better universities due to the way universities look at students as customers rather than students who bear some responsibility for what they learn. As for whether or not other students would have recognized a disgruntled student that would depend on whether or not they'd taken classes with him, when he was a student, if they hung out in the same circles, etc. Either way, this is an awful story and I hope the killer is caught a.s.a.p. My condolences to the man's family.

tmarie: I have to say though many Japanese folks I've spoken with are alarmed at just how dangerous this country has become over the past few years.

$$$ based on what, reading the news? I live in, yes, the big S, Saitama, and have yet to ever witness anything bad and that is after having lived here for over 8 years and I don't live in the countryside. If you read the news enough it's gonna lead you to think the whole world is evil when it actually makes up much less that 1% of the population.

I live in, yes, the big S, Saitama, and have yet to ever witness anything bad

Other than Saitama, of course.

I have been teaching in Japan, for 15 years in a university in the north part, and I always find that the teacher are the least protectect by the university, if you say something to the studentes, is consider "power harasment" or "akahara" "academic harasment"if you say "atama warui" to make them feel that they have to study, to improve, they can sue you, so you have to say.."atama ga yokunai" and so on....think this they paid more or less "hyaku goyu maen" if you have more than 100 students in one class, make the math, and the class is about lengages........pore guy! and he was all smile!!! So you have to learn to say "wakarimashita", and give up! you want to know which university is?

Glad to see the students were on the ball and ran to campus security. I suppose calling the paramedics directly, or actually maybe trying to stop the bleeding would have been too much to ask.

I suppose it's important to follow the correct procedure, and go through the proper chain of command, regardless if somebody is bleeding to death.

Sabiwabi, it's a well known fact that class attendance at Japanese universities is extremely low compared to American, Canadian, and British universities--i can't speak for any other country's schools. anyway, witnesses said the suspect appeared to be in his 30s so it's unlikely he was a student. i wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that this poor fellow had massive debts (with yakuza loan sharks) which he couldn't pay off.

I wouldn't be surprised at all that most guesses about the cause of the murder are highly suspect themselves.

They need to BAN GUNS NOW!!! Come on everyone. get on the bandwagon and start saying it. "People don't kill people. Guns do." </end sarcasm>

Sabiwabi, it's a well known fact that class attendance at Japanese universities is extremely low compared to American, Canadian, and British universities-

I am basing it on my own experience. During my entire University studies in the west, I have never seen a prof taking attendance. Students chose to attend. My experience in Japanese Universities tell me that profs take attendance and it contributes to their grades. And in a few cases, I have been told that students are not allowed to miss more than 2 classes, without a valid excuse. Anyway, I was told that was typical for Japanese Universities.

As a professor at a Japanese university, with several friends at Chuo, I am horrified by the murder of this gentle scholar. Social and cultural generalizations are and will be quite meaningless - at least until the circumstances are clarified...There's a lot wrong with higher education in most parts of the world, including Japan, where passivity, it seems to me, is the long-standing problem, along with a "hierarchy" obsession. (I teach in an elite institution, so this is not sour grapes.) But for now let us grieve - and wait...