Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Ex-Japanese top official says he killed son to prevent attack on children
Police escort former Japanese vice culture minister Hideaki Kumazawa as he leaves Nerima police station in Tokyo on June 3. Kyodo via Reuters
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
A former Japanese vice agriculture minister says he had no choice but to kill his own son, 44, to prevent the son from attacking children.
According to
, Hideaki Kumazawa, also a former ambassador to the Czech Republic, told police he stabbed his son Eiichiro out of fear that he would harm children, who were making noise at an elementary school near their house in Tokyo on June 1.
Before the incident, the two had an argument over noise from a sports festival at the school.
Police quoted Kumazawa as saying he had to prevent his son from turning his anger on the children.
He told police he was “terrified” his son was about to go on a rampage, so he grabbed a knife in the kitchen and stabbed his son in the chest, neck and other parts of the body many times. He then called police.
“My son tended to confine himself at home,” Kumazawa told police. “He sometimes committed violent acts against my wife and me. His violence started when he was at junior high school.”
Kumazawa joined the agriculture ministry in 1967 and became a vice minister in 2001. After stepping down the following year, he served as Japan's Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2005-08.