An assailant armed with a pickax and a knife has attacked a car carrying renowned Japanese filmmaker and actor Takeshi Kitano near a TV station in Tokyo. The suspect has been detained by police.
The incident occurred shortly after Kitano had finished filming a live infotainment show on TV station TBS in Tokyo late on Saturday night, Japanese media reported, citing police and the station.
A man, believed to be in his 40s, attacked a car with Kitano inside shortly after it had left a KBS parking lot, cracking the windshield and striking other parts of the vehicle.
The director and his chauffeur were unharmed, and the assailant was detained. Police are determining his motive.
Kitano, 74, gained international fame for his gritty yakuza movies, dystopian thriller ‘Battle Royale’, and game show ‘Takeshi’s Castle’, which he hosted.
It was not the first time a popular celebrity has been attacked in Japan. In 2014, a man armed with box cutter blades injured two members of a girl pop group AKB48 at a fan event in Takizawa. Two years later, a stalker fan stabbed singer and actress Mayu Tomita in Tokyo.
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