At around 9:45 a.m. on the 20th, a man carrying a knife attempted to enter the House of Councillors Members’ Office Building in Nagatacho, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Staff members noticed and immediately alerted the authorities; police quickly arrived and arrested him. The man claimed that he was looking for Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama.
The House of Councillors Members’ Office Building is where Japanese House of Councillors members perform their daily work. It is located near the National Diet Building, facilitating legislative and political activities for parliamentarians.
According to the police, they found a man in his 50s with a knife around 17 centimeters long at the scene. No one was injured in the incident, and the man did not behave violently during the process.
Police said that as the man was entering the building, he underwent a metal detector check and was stopped after the knife was found in his possession. The man stated, "I was asked to bring this to Representative Katayama (Satsuki)," and the police are continuing their investigation.
Regarding this matter, Satsuki Katayama, the Liberal Democratic Party House of Councillors member and Finance Minister, stated at a noon interview that she had learned beforehand that the man intended to come to Tokyo to request a meeting, but emphasized that there is no relationship between them and no meeting was ever arranged. Police are continuing to investigate the details of the incident and the man's background.