June 8, 2008 was a dark day in Japan. A temp worker drove a rented truck into a group of pedestrians in Tokyo's geek mecca, Akihabara. He got out and began randomly stabbing bystanders. Seven were left dead, 10 injured.
This week, a memorial to mark the terrible event was set up at the intersection where the attack happened, reports The Japan Times.
"I came to pray for those who lost their lives," says a 56-year-old former taxi driver, who was seriously injured in the rampage. "I hope many people will remember this tragedy."
Prior to that attacks, Akihabara closed off its streets to cars and turned itself into a "Pedestrians' Paradise". That was changed after the tragedy; however, the area is making moves to once again kick off Pedestrians's Paradise. Recently, security cameras have been installed to beef up security in the Akihabara area.
Akihabara marks deadly rampage [The Japan Times Online]