Ten years after Japan¡¯s deadliest mass stabbing, one of the survivors of the brutal attack at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en residential facility has become an unlikely public advocate, offering a powerful counterpoint to the hatred that motivated the massacre.
On July 26, 2016, former Tsukui Yamayuri-en employee Satoshi Uematsu broke into the residential facility in Sagamihara, west of Tokyo, murdering 19 residents and injuring 26 others. Before the attack, he had written letters arguing that people with severe disabilities should be euthanized because they burdened society. His ideology horrified Japan and drew international condemnation.
Among those gravely injured was resident Kazuya Ono. Today, the 53-year-old Ono lives in his own apartment in Kanagawa Prefecture, supported by personal assistants after leaving institutional care six years ago. The move transformed not only where he lives but also how he participates in society.
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