Teruyuki Takabayashi, 44, of Fussa city, seen here in a photograph from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police website, is wanted by police in connection with an alleged attack on a teenager in Fussa. (Tokyo Metropolitan Police)
TOKYO – A man suspected by police of attacking a teenage boy with something like a hammer in a city outside Yokota Air Base is on a nationwide wanted list in Japan, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Police.
Teruyuki Takabayashi, 44, of Fussa city, is wanted by police investigating an incident outside a restaurant in Fussa on Wednesday morning, a metropolitan police spokeswoman said by phone Friday.
Police suspect Takabayashi struck a 17-year-old boy’s face multiple times with a hammer-like object between 7:15 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. Wednesday outside a restaurant in Fussa, the spokeswoman said.
Fussa, one of several cities surrounding Yokota, an airlift hub and headquarters of U.S. Forces Japan in western Tokyo, is where the base’s main gate is located.
Another high school student was also attacked and sustained a minor injury, public broadcaster NHK reported Thursday.
Seven people, including the two students, were gathered near the restaurant when Takabayashi attacked them, NHK reported, citing investigators. When police arrived, he threatened them with a knife and sprayed liquid at them with an agricultural sprayer, injuring three officers, according to the report.
Takabayashi then barricaded himself inside his home near the restaurant for about four and a half hours before police entered and discovered he was gone, according to NHK.
The metropolitan police wanted list posted on its website described Takabayashi as 5-feet 7-inches tall with short, cropped hair and wearing a gray sweatshirt and sweatpants.
Some government spokespeople in Japan may speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Police are looking for any information, including sightings of Takabayashi on public transportation, according to the wanted list.
Anyone with information may call Fussa police at 042-551-0110.