DFA: No Filipinos hurt in New Year's Eve Tokyo car attack

MANILA, Philippines —  No Filipinos were hurt when a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year’s Eve along a famous Tokyo street in the Harajuku district, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

Iniulat ng DFA na walang Pilipinong nasaktan sa nangyaring car attack sa Tokyo noong Martes. pic.twitter.com/Ben4i6MsBj

— News5 AKSYON (@News5AKSYON) January 2, 2019

The DFA said it has been informed "that there are no Filipinos among the nine persons injured when a driver deliberately drove his car into a crowd of revelers in central Tokyo on Tuesday."

It said the information "was conveyed by the Philippine embassy in Tokyo after checking wtih Japanese authorities."

According to Agence France-Presse, the 21-year-old suspect Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a small vehicle into Takeshita Street in Tokyo's fashion district of Harajuku at 10 minutes past midnight with an "intent to murder."

Local media reports said the suspect told police he was acting in "retribution for the death penalty" without elaborating on what he meant.

Police immediately closed off the street after the attack, which was packed with people celebrating the New Year.

A college student suffered serious injuries during the attack and was undergoing surgery, the police spokesman told Agence.

Kusakabe was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.

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

According to 2017 data from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, over 128,000 Filipinos work in the country. —  Ryan Macasero with reports from Agence France-Presse