Woman allegedly stabbed and robbed in Osaka underground complex
Osaka police are searching for two men after a foreign woman was hurt and had her bag stolen near Tennoji Station, with investigators examining CCTV.
- A foreign woman was allegedly stabbed multiple times and robbed of her bag by two men in the Abechika underground complex near Osaka's Tennoji Station.
- The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the two suspects fled the scene and remain at large.
- Police are investigating the case as an attempted murder-robbery and are exploring whether the attack was random or if the victim and suspects knew each other.
A foreign woman, believed to be in her 20s or 30s, was allegedly attacked and robbed inside the Abechika underground shopping complex in Osaka’s Tennoji Ward on Wednesday evening.
According to Osaka police, the incident happened at about 7.40pm on June 10 inside the Abechika underground shopping complex near Tennoji Station, one of the city’s busiest transport hubs.
The complex is also close to Abeno Harukas, the district’s landmark skyscraper.
Investigative sources said the woman had just left a restroom when two men approached her.
A struggle followed, during which she was wounded several times in the upper body with what appeared to be a bladed object.
The attackers then took her bag and fled.
Emergency responders and police arrived at the scene soon afterwards.
The woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital while still conscious, and doctors said her injuries were not life-threatening.
Police are treating the case at this stage as “attempted murder during a robbery”.
However, investigators are also looking into whether the attack may not have been random, with sources saying the suspects and the victim could have known each other or had some form of connection.
No such relationship has been officially confirmed.
After the incident, police sealed off part of the Abechika underground walkway as forensic officers checked physical evidence, including blood traces, footprints, possible escape routes and CCTV footage from around Tennoji Station.
The weapon used in the attack has not been found.
The two suspects remain at large.
Japanese media have described them only as “men who appeared to be foreigners”.
Osaka police are asking anyone who was in the area at the time, or who may have mobile phone footage or other information, to come forward.
The case has shocked many people in Japan because it took place in a busy public area near a major railway station.
Although Japan is widely seen as a low-crime country, the attack has sparked concern over security in underground spaces and the safety of tourists and foreign residents.
The Japan News
