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Stabbing of Mayu Tomita

On May 21, 2016, Mayu Tomita, a 20-year-old Japanese singer and actress, was stabbed in the neck and chest area multiple times by 27-year-old fan Tomohiro Iwazaki, after she returned gifts that he had sent her. Prior to the attack, he had sent her multiple death threats over social media. As a result of the stabbing, anti-stalking laws in Japan were revised to include online threats on social media to better protect victims.

Attack
Iwazaki, a fan of Tomita, had sent multiple "obsessive comments" to her blog and Twitter account. He reportedly sent her some books and a watch. The watch was sent between January and February 2016, and it was returned to the sender in April, 12 days before the attack, Tomita had contacted the police at the station near her home in Musashino, Tokyo out of fear for her safety, but the police dismissed the case, believing his social media messages were not an immediate threat. in Koganei, Tokyo, where she would have been performing later that evening with other singers. When Tomita had called the police before being stabbed, the emergency dispatcher had sent the police to her home instead of tracing the location of her cell phone. Tomita was in critical condition but sustained no damage on her vital organs, and she regained consciousness on June 7, 2016. Tomita suffered from 34 stab wounds on her face, neck, back, and arms. She was also partially blinded in her left eye and had problems eating and singing. In addition, Tomita could not use her fingers and it is unknown when she can continue her music career. Tomita also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. She was released from the hospital in September 2016. On December 17, 2016, Tomita criticized the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for dismissing her initial concerns. The police issued a formal apology to Tomita for not taking action. ==Victim==
Victim
is a Japanese singer and actress. In 2011, she starred in Fuji TV's web drama Secret Girls, featuring a group of middle school girls who lead a double life as members of an in-show Japanese idol girl group of the same name. She also made minor appearances in other films and television shows, such as Kamen Rider Fourze. At the time of the attack, Tomita was also a third-year college student at Asia University majoring in business. ==Perpetrator==
Perpetrator
was 27 years old at the time of stabbing. Iwazaki's older brother described him as "unskilled in expressing his emotions" but had a "gentle, child-like nature." This led him to declare on his blog that women who appear in pornography should "commit suicide." Iwazaki had also appeared in one of Yui Hatano's pornographic films, titled Real Amateurs on a Virgin Graduation Bus Tour. Iwazaki had been a fan of Tomita after watching her shows and had expressed a desire to marry her. ==Trial==
Trial
2017 trial Trials began on February 20, 2017. On the first day of trial, prosecutors read a note from Tomita to the court reading, "I want the criminal to die. If you cannot do that, I want him to be locked up for the rest of his life." The case was settled in July 2025. ==Impact==
Impact
Tomita's stabbing has led the National Diet to revise their anti-stalking laws in December 2016 to include online harassment on social media, In 2017, animation director Yutaka Yamamoto condemned Iwazaki on his blog, but he also believed Tomita was at fault for rejecting his gifts and should have been prepared to defend herself. After receiving backlash for his comments, Yamamoto responded to the criticism by mentioning there was a double standard in the public, where they would care more about a "cute idol" than a "dirty middle-aged man." ==See also==
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