Nine injured as van plough into Tokyo’s New Year crowd

Nine people were hurt, one seriously, when a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year's Eve on one of Tokyo's most famous streets, police and media said Tuesday.

With an ‘intent to murder’, 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a small vehicle into Takeshita Street in Tokyo's fashion district of Harajuku at 10 minutes past midnight, a police spokesman said.

The street, which was sealed off to traffic, was packed with people heading to a shrine for New Year's prayers.

According to national broadcaster NHK, Kusakabe told police he was acting in "retribution for the death penalty" without giving more precise details.

Eight people were hit by the car with one of them, a male student in critical condition in hospital.

A ninth person was assaulted by the driver after he got out of the vehicle.

The man driving the car fled the scene but was later arrested by police for attempted murder.

Police told broadcaster NHK that he initially told them he had conducted a terrorist act, but then later claimed it was related to executions. It was not clear if he was referring to a specific execution or capital punishment in general.

Takeshita Street in Shibuya ward is a popular shopping area known for its quirky fashion and youth culture. It also attracts international tourists in large numbers.

NHK footage showed the van with a smashed front and paramedics carrying the injured on stretchers into ambulances.

According to local media, Kusakabe hit a total of nine people on the street, which was closed to car traffic at the time as revelers packed the area to celebrate New Year.

Takeshita Street is packed with small shops and is considered the center of youth culture and fashion in Japan, attracting tens of thousands of international tourists every day.