Memorial Held 10 Years After Sagamihara Attack

On July 25, 2026, one day before the 10th anniversary of one of Japan’s worst post-war mass killings, a memorial ceremony was held in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Some 187 people — family members of the victims, staff of the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care facility and local officials — gathered to remember the 19 residents who were stabbed to death at the facility in 2016.

The venue was moved from the facility itself to a larger hall in the city to accommodate more mourners for the milestone anniversary. On stage, 19 origami lily flowers in different colours, crafted by facility residents, were surrounded by white blossoms. Facility director Kiyomitsu Nagai, 56, spoke of a grief that “will never heal, even after 10 long years,” while expressing gratitude for having shared time with the victims.

Kazuma Otsuki, 76, who has led the families’ association since the attack, recalled the anguish he heard in relatives’ waiting rooms at the time. Masanao Shimada, 56, a resident and head of the facility’s self-government association, voiced his own words alongside the speakers. Prefectural Governor Yuji Kuroiwa later acknowledged that the goal of an inclusive society remains far from achieved. “We must continue to fight,” he said.

Following the memorial, the prefecture hosted a “Gathering of Oaths” where disability welfare specialists discussed the future of care and inclusion, turning the commemoration into a call for systemic change.

After a Decade, Grief and Unfinished Progress

A Decade of Unhealed Grief

The shift of the memorial to a larger venue for the 10th anniversary underlines how deeply the tragedy has imprinted itself on the local community and beyond. Director Nagai’s statement that the grief “will never heal” reflects a reality for families of the victims, for whom the passage of time has not diminished the loss.

Governor’s Admission: Progress ‘Not Even Halfway’

Governor Kuroiwa’s unusually frank admission — that the drive toward an inclusive society is “not even halfway” — signals that, a decade after the attack, bureaucratic and attitudinal barriers for people with disabilities remain formidable. While the prefecture has invested in facilities and awareness campaigns, the memorial was a reminder that policy pronouncements have not fully translated into everyday safety and acceptance for vulnerable individuals.

The post-memorial gathering of experts on welfare policy suggests that the anniversary is being used as a catalyst for renewed discussion, but concrete policy shifts are yet to be seen.