New stuff keeps surfacing about Tomohiro Kato, the 25-year old nutjob who drove a truck into an Akihabara crowd and then proceeded on foot to stab random fellow otakus, killing 7 people and injuring at least 10 others this past Sunday. A couple of Mainichi articles - here (backup) and here (backup) - bring some new details from the ongoing police investigation.

For one thing, Kato claims that he doesn't remember anything anymore from his rampage. Well, except for ramming the truck into the crowd... and stabbing several people... and a policeman. "But I don't remember anything after that", he told police. Heki, heki, Kato-kun, at least you remember the juicy stuff.

Crazy as he may be, though, it's clear that his rampage was meticulously planned - from buying 6 knives at a military shop in Fukui, to renting a truck, and even warning that "I will kill people in Akihabara" at 5:21 AM on Sunday, on an Interweb mobile phone site. By 11:45 AM, he had posted another online message, saying "I have arrived in Akihabara" (just in time for the "pedestrian paradise" which used to start at noon - but may soon be finished), and at 12:10 PM he wrote: "It's about time". Shit hit the fan at around 12:30 PM.

"Kato has also told police that he used only a dagger knife when he stabbed the victims." Dual wielding for the win! "Police also found that Kato was in possession of a total of three knives when he assaulted pedestrians." The third one must have been for... tanking?!

As for Kato's obsessions, apart from being an otaku himself and singing "lolicon anime songs", it seems he was also a fan of "Mrs. Wide Open" - that 22 30-year old idol who used to dazzle Akiba crowds with her pantsu, until she was arrested. Her reaction?

“Really, I'm astonished! I don't know if he was one of them [her actual words in Japanese], but if he was interested in me I would've wanted him to come to my events. I would have liked to show him a good time."

If only they had met...

If only they had met, indeed...