Professor Hajime Takakubo
Image from Chuo University website.

Professor stabbed to death at Chuo University in Tokyo

Wednesday 14th January, 01:35 PM JST

TOKYO —

A 45-year-old electronics professor at Chuo University in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward was stabbed to death on Wednesday, police said. Hajime Takakubo, who taught in the department of Electrical, Electronic, and Communication Engineering, was found bleeding with more than 10 stab wounds to his chest, back and hands in a toilet around 10:30 a.m. by a student who alerted a security officer. Takakubo was taken to hospital but died about one hour later.

Several people witnessed a man in his 30s, wearing a black coat and black cap, leave the toilet just before the victim was found, police said.
The weapon used to attack the professor has yet to be found, police said.

Takakubo was found lying in the bathroom on the fourth floor of the No. 1 building of the university’s Korakuen Campus, and the man ran from there, police and school officials said.

Takakubo’s office is on the same floor and he was expected to give a lecture at 10:40 a.m.

An acquaintance of Takakubo’s appeared shocked by the incident, saying, ‘‘He was a gentle person and not the kind who has arguments with others.’‘

A sophomore who came to the campus to attend Takakubo’s class said, ‘‘He was always smiling and I have never heard that he was involved in trouble.’‘

Takakubo was an expert in electronic circuits used in televisions and mobile phones.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 27 Total Comments Show All

sk4ek at 05:17 PM JST - 14th January

Didn't something similar take place at another university in the middle of last year? Even the "black coat and cap" description sounds familiar.
BBLeo at 05:27 PM JST - 14th January

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.
kwatt at 06:10 PM JST - 14th January

Whoever it is, that guy is badly so mad at him.
seggahme at 06:25 PM JST - 14th January

someone didn't pass his exams.
Hotbox08 at 07:39 PM JST - 14th January

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.
ambrosia at 09:13 PM JST - 14th January

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.
pizzaboy at 09:49 PM JST - 14th January

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.
Nessie at 09:58 PM JST - 14th January

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

Other than Saitama, of course.
Mex at 10:11 PM JST - 14th January

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?
bamboohat at 10:23 PM JST - 14th January

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.
Philmoscowitz at 11:27 PM JST - 14th January

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.
Betting at 12:11 AM JST - 15th January

I wouldn't be surprised at all that most guesses about the cause of the murder are highly suspect themselves.
bushlover at 02:18 AM JST - 15th January

They need to BAN GUNS NOW!!! Come on everyone. get on the bandwagon and start saying it. "People don't kill people. Guns do."
sabiwabi at 06:48 PM JST - 15th January

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.
Khuniri at 06:17 AM JST - 16th January

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...