Nine Years Later, Memorials and ‘Silent Action’ Mark Loss of “irreplaceable” Victims of Care Home Stabbings [Podcast Episode]

From Barrier Free Japan

July 28 2025

Sagamihara, Kanagawa & Kobe, Hyogo – A memorial ceremony commemorating the victims of the 2016 mass stabbing at Tsukui Yamayuri-en, a care facility for people with disabilities, was held on Saturday July 26, marking nine years since the tragedy. The ceremony was organized by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Sagamihara City, and the facility’s managing welfare organization, took place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. at the facility in Midori Ward, where 19 residents were killed and 26 injured in one of Japan’s worst mass killings.

Kyodo reported that Kiyomitsu Nagai (age 55), the director of the facility, stood in front of the memorial altar alongside resident Masanao Shimada (also 55), and solemnly said, “You are, and will always be, irreplaceable.” At the flower offering table, people were seen placing flowers and praying, expressing their resolve: “We will not forget the incident.”

Some political action groups also marked the day as a way to highlight injustices against people with disabilities and minority groups in general. In Kobe, the group ‘Remember 7.26 Kobe Action’ on July 25 held a ‘silent action’.

Episode notes:

‘Memorials and ‘Silent Action’ by Disability Rights Groups Mark Ninth Anniversary of Sagamihara Stabbings’:

Memorials and ‘Silent Action’ by Disability Rights Groups Mark Ninth Anniversary of Sagamihara Stabbings