Stand for flower offering removed 49 days after Akihabara rampage

Monday 28th July, 02:20 PM JST

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13 Comments

some14some at 02:58 PM JST - 28th July

The local authority is discussing about building a monument at the site.

Not a good idea, will set bad precedent, looking at knife related assaults in Japan, wonder how many monuments will be built.
taj at 03:27 PM JST - 28th July

I agree. Bad idea to build a monument to mass murder.
WilliB at 03:38 PM JST - 28th July

Count on "local authorities" in Japan to come with stupid ideas. Invariably.
gogogo at 04:11 PM JST - 28th July

Whats the deal with the bottles of drink? I never understood why people leave bottles of products there?
Zen_Builder at 04:26 PM JST - 28th July

It is a japanese custom to bring food and drink for the departed spirits to appease the dead souls. You take the food home but the drink remains.

Not all that different from the celebrations in mexico, etc.

In japan there are also rituals on how to visit a grave of an ancestor(1st/3rd/5th/7th/etc) are the big days. O-Bon(buddhist festival) is a major event to appease the spirits/ancestors. How to wash the stone, etc.

Not that different from my home-country where we place a candle in the window to guide the spirit on its death anniversary. And yes we are christians but still uphold some of the pagan beliefs.

I agree with that the site/shrine should be done away with by now.
dontpanic at 05:25 PM JST - 28th July

There should be a monument. Dont sweep murder, mass or otherwise under the carpet and forget. Remind people everyday of the terrible price paid by innocent people simply going about their business. Then perhaps others will take notice and look at the reasons why these incidents occur.
moonbeams at 07:04 PM JST - 28th July

The problem with a monument is that these people commit these crimes to get noticed. Building a monument might encourage more loonies.
dontpanic at 07:47 PM JST - 28th July

Well, forgetting about it and sweeping it all under the carpet certainly wont discourage them.

If notice were taken and there were some open discussion, the Japanese authorities might accept there are some serious societal problems and lay on some treatment. Then the 'loonies' and their families could seek help. Thats got to be better than hiding depression and mental illness in embarrased isolation until there's another mass killing.
Blue_Tiger at 09:30 PM JST - 28th July

It is good that the government wants to remember the victims this way, with a monument. Here's hoping that the government will remember the killer with swift justice....
jipster at 12:30 AM JST - 29th July

Why don't they spend the money on trying to deal with the root of the problems that makes these misguided individuals feel the need to commit these crimes
nimbus at 08:09 AM JST - 29th July

I agree with moonbeams. While we see it as a monument to remember the victims, a crazy person may see it as a monument to remember his/her deed. Then other nuts will try to out do the preivous nut to get a bigger monument.
WilliB at 01:21 PM JST - 29th July

It is like the holocaust memorial in Berlin. There is something fundamentally wrong with the idea. You just should not celebrate mass murder.
Blue_Tiger at 08:24 PM JST - 29th July

There's a chasm of difference between "celebrating" and "remembering"....