Mamoru Takuma, a 37-year-old ex-convict with a history of mentally disturbed and anti-social behavior, stabbed eight students to death and seriously wounded fifteen others in a knife attack that lasted several minutes.

Mamoru Takuma was a 37-year-old ex-convict from Itami, Hyōgo Prefecture, who had a long history of mentally disturbed and anti-social behavior since childhood and an extensive criminal record that included a conviction for rape.

After being released from prison in 1989, Takuma moved to the nearby city of Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, working various part-time jobs in the area but often being fired for erratic or violent behavior.

[3] Takuma parked his car in front of the school's east gate, before making his way to the south building, which housed multiple first- and second-year classrooms.

[4][5] The attack began just after 10:10 a.m.; Takuma first climbed through a window before crossing the hallway and entering a second-year classroom, where he stabbed five students to death.

The incident set itself apart, however, by the age of the victims, its venue (a school), and the perpetrator's history of mental illness.

[8] Because of these factors, the attack raised questions about Japan's social policies for dealing with mental illness, the rights of victims and criminals, and the accessibility and security of Japanese schools.