Five pensioners stabbed to death in their homes in Japan by 'misfit neighbour who tweeted about telepathy and stalking before the killing spree'

  • Bodies of man and woman in their 80s found dead by police in one house
  • Two women in 60s and 80s and man in 60s found with fatal injuries nearby
  • Suspect has reportedly confessed to killings after being arrested by police
  • He has been described in Japan as a 'hikikomori' - literally 'the withdrawn'
  • His Twitter account had the address of the homicides and a map of scene
  • Other tweets on the account appeared to be about telepathy and stalking

By SIMON TOMLINSON FOR MAILONLINE

Published: | Updated:

Five pensioners have been killed in their homes in a stabbing spree in rural Japan allegedly by a neighbour who had tweeted about stalking and telepathy before the killings.

The suspect was named by police as Tatsuhiko Hirano, an unemployed man reportedly described as a 'hikikomori' - or social misfit. 

Police found the bloodied bodies of a man and a woman, both aged around 80, in the main house on the site on the quiet island of Awajishima

Two unconscious women, aged around 60 and 80, were discovered in another building, while a badly wounded man in his 60s was found outside.

All three were rushed to hospital and were later confirmed dead, police said.  

Massacre in rural Japan: Detectives comb the scene in Sumoto city on the Japanese island of Awajishima where five pensioners were stabbed to death by a neighbour who has reportedly confessed to the killings

Massacre in rural Japan: Detectives comb the scene in Sumoto city on the Japanese island of Awajishima where five pensioners were stabbed to death by a neighbour who has reportedly confessed to the killings

The alarm was raised by a 32-year-old woman who rang police to say her parents had been stabbed.  

The 40-year-old suspect is being quizzed by detectives, but the motive was unclear and police have yet to find the weapon used in the attacks.  

Local media said Hirano's clothes were spattered with blood and that he had admitted to the multiple killing.

A Twitter account that appeared to be run by the suspect had been used over the past month.

Tweets included one with the address of the homicides and a map of the scene. Other tweets appeared to be about telepathy and stalking. 

The attacks happened in Sumoto, a small city on an island in western Japan, said deputy police chief Keizo Okumoto.

Hirano lives in the area with his father and grandmother, Jiji Press reported.

Locals told the agency he rarely leaves his home and has largely been isolated from society since his school days. 

Map showing Awajishima in Japan where police arrested a man suspected of stabbing five people to death

Map showing Awajishima in Japan where police arrested a man suspected of stabbing five people to death

The phenomenon of so-called 'hikikomori' -- literally 'the withdrawn' -- rears its head fairly frequently in Japan.

Often it applies to maladjusted people in their teens or early 20s who shut themselves away for years in their parents' homes, many living in darkened bedrooms with little or no human contact.

While many eventually emerge, others continue well into adulthood, protected from the pressures of life by their ageing parents.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan and even more so in most small towns. 

Sumoto, a city of 44,000 people on Awaji island, is known for its oranges, onions and Awaji beef. 

Japanese television stations showed the victims' homes surrounded by agricultural fields.

'Normally, we get one call a day, if that,' Mr Okumoto said. 'And usually it's about a bike theft or someone getting beaten up.' 

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