A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a female university student in her 20s on a street in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, police said. Investigators believe he attacked seven women at random near Jimbocho Station on the Tokyo Metro network, striking them in the stomach or kicking them from behind.
The suspect, identified as Hikaru Hamaguchi, is accused of punching the student in the left cheek on a street in Kanda-Jimbocho last month. According to investigative sources, the attacks on the seven women took place within about 15 minutes. Some of the women were injured.
The women did not know Hamaguchi, and investigators believe he was targeting young women indiscriminately. The Metropolitan Police Department has not disclosed whether he admits or denies the allegations.
Attacks in a busy student district
Kanda-Jimbocho is known for its cluster of bookshops and its proximity to several universities, and the area around the station is busy with students and office workers for much of the day. Police have not said whether patrols in the area will be increased.