Category: Sagamihara

A memorial ceremony was held Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the killing rampage at Tsukui Yamayuri-en, a care home for people with disabilities in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, that left 19 residents dead.  The ceremony was organized by the Kanagawa prefectural government and others and held at the facility’s gymnasium. A total of 85 participants, including bereaved families and facility staff, as well as Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa, offered a silent prayer. “On that day, our lives were overturned, and it took five years to restore them,” said Kazuma Otsuki, who leads a group of the families of facility users. “We will never forget you (the victims) all.”

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. Some political action groups also marked the day as a way to highlight injustices against people with disabilities and minority groups in general.

“Please watch over me and everyone at Tsukui Yamayuri-en from heaven,” Yukari Okutsu, who leads a community group formed by residents of the facility, said in a speech. Kiyomitsu Nagai, head of the facility, said: “Even after eight years have passed, your smiles are alive in our hearts. You will be always with us.”