A Japanese streamer was stabbed multiple times while IRL streaming to over 6,000 people in Tokyo.
On March 11 at 9:50 am JST, the streamer, Airi Sato, was walking the streets of Shinjuku while livestreaming on the Japanese platform WhoWatch.
According to NeedToKnow, she suddenly began screaming for over a minute before a man covered in blood and holding a knife appeared on screen.
“Are you dead yet?” asked the alleged attacker, described as a “hater” or “anti-fan” in Japanese media.
The broadcast continued with all this going on, with fans eagerly concerned about the wellbeing of the woman, even as emergency sirens roared over the black screen.
“According to police, the suspect said he ‘wanted his money back,’ leading to speculation that he may have been a viewer who donated money to her streams,” said journalist Jeffrey Hall.
The suspect, a man in his 40s identified as Kenichi Takano, told police that he “didn’t mean to kill her.”
Takano reportedly visited a restaurant where Sato worked since August 2022 after watching her broadcasts and had sent her money.
“I managed to raise funds with my savings and consumer loans and lent Sato more than 2 million yen (approx. $13,500) for living and other expenses. I made up my mind to attack her as she wouldn’t give my money back,” he told police.
Woman dies after stabbing on IRL Tokyo stream
The Standard reports Sato had suffered wounds to her head, neck, and abdomen and that she was found unconscious before being rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The Standard reported that the victim was voice actress Ai Mogami, however, the company that represents Mogami said she was mistakenly identified. However, Sato is said to have used the alias ‘Ai Mogami’ during her broadcasts.
“In the incident that occurred in Takadanobaba today, erroneous information was spread, and our company’s ‘Mogami Ai’ was mistakenly identified,” the company said.
“We express our condolences to the parties involved in the incident, and at the same time, we confirm the safety of our company’s ‘Mogami Ai’ and hereby declare that our company’s ‘Mogami Ai’ has nothing to do with the incident.”
YouTube/ ANNnewsCHAuthorities are reviewing the last few moments of the broadcast for clues and are analyzing it for evidence.
Livestream stabbings have happened before. In 2024, a Korean YouTuber was stabbed to death by his rival outside of a courthouse in Busan.
In 2023, a Chinese streamer from Xiamen, Fujian had his hand cut off when a man suddenly began attacking him with a sword.
