Japanese PM Says to Boost Security Measures Near Schools After Stabbing Attack

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned a stabbing attack on schoolchildren in the city of Kawasaki on Tuesday and pledged to increase security measures to make sure routes to schools are safe.

"This incident is causing deep pain. I am outraged by the fact that children were targeted. We pray for the dead and grieve with people, who lost their loved ones… Earlier, I instructed relevant ministries to take immediate measures to ensure the safety of children en route to school," Abe told reporters.

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Early on Tuesday, a knife-wielding man attacked a group of schoolchildren waiting for a bus in Kawasaki, injuring at least 16 people. Two of them, a school girl and a man, apparently a parent of one of the children, are dead. The attacker reportedly died in hospital from self-inflicted injuries.

All injured were sent to hospitals, with two of them said to be in critical condition. Kyodo news agency reported that the attacker, believed to be in his 50s, was heard shouting "I'm going to kill you" during the assault.