An attack believed to have been sparked by a succession feud has left three people dead at a well-known Shinto shrine in Tokyo.
The chief priestess was stabbed to death, reportedly by her brother. A bloodied Samurai sword was found at the scene, along with other knives, reports BBS.
The attacker’s wife also took part in the ambush on Thursday evening, police say, injuring the priestess’s driver. The male attacker then stabbed his wife to death before killing himself.
The attack began when the 58-year-old priestess, Nagako Tomioka, got out of her car at the shrine and was confronted by her brother, Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, and his wife said to be in her 30s.
The wife reportedly attacked the priestess’s driver, stabbing him with a sword. The driver fled the scene, pursued by the woman. Police said there was a trail of blood down the road but the driver’s wounds were not life-threatening.
The priestess suffered a deep stab wound to her chest, along with a laceration on the back of her neck, and was later pronounced dead. The suspects then moved to another part of the shrine’s grounds.
“We believe the male suspect stabbed the woman before stabbing himself,” a police spokesman said.
