The saw attack on members of the Japanese girl idol groupAKB48 occurred at the group's May 25, 2014 fan "handshake" event at the Iwate Industry Culture and Convention Center in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture. Two members of AKB48 — 18-year-old Anna Iriyama and 19-year-old Rina Kawaei — and a staff member who tried to stop the attacker were seriously injured and taken to hospital. The assailant was arrested, tried and sentenced to six years in jail. Both AKB48 members underwent surgery and were out of the group's activities for a lengthy period of time. Kawaei was never able to fully mentally recover and in next year's March announced her departure from the group giving her psychological inability to attend fan "handshake" events anymore as the reason. Iriyama, who after the incident wore first a hand brace/cast on her right hand and later a glove, was finally spotted without it in August 2015 at Kawaei's "graduation" concert.
Attack
At a May 25, 2014 handshake event at the Iwate Industry Culture and Convention Center in Takizawa, Iwate, group members Rina Kawaei and Anna Iriyama were attacked by a 24-year-old man with a handsaw. A male staff member who tried to stop the attacker was also injured. Iriyama and Kawaei suffered bone fractures and lacerations to their hands: Iriyama's right little finger and Kawaei's right thumb were fractured and cut, Iriyama also suffered cuts to her head. The staff member sustained cuts to his left hand. The three were treated at a hospital for fractures and cuts.
Attacker
The assailant was arrested for attempted murder. He was revealed to be an unemployed man who had no previous interest or fan connection to AKB48. He was frustrated that such idols were well-paid. In December 2014, he pleaded guilty to charges of bodily injury and infringement of weapon regulations. He was sentenced to six years in jail.
Aftermath
AKB48 canceled its theater performances through the end of May, and handshake and photo-shoot fan events in May and June were postponed. In response to security concerns, the Manseibashi Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department asked AKS to conduct security checks of audience members at the theater entrance. Although AKB48's sister groupsSKE48, NMB48 and HKT48 did not suspend their theater performances, they introduced security measures: metal detectors, not using the theaters' front rows, suspending post-performance "high-five" events and increasing the number of security guards. On May 30, AKB48 resumed its television appearances and on June 2 the group resumed theater performances with security measures similar to those of its sister groups. Security and bag checks were added at the general-election-results event and Yuko Oshima's "graduation" concert. On April 8, 2016, AKB48 GroupGeneral ManagerMinami Takahashi gave her final interview as a member on Kin Sma Special on TBS Television and revealed various insider details about the incident, which she could only disclose then since she would leave the group that very day.
