An ordinary Thursday afternoon at a supermarket in Daito City, Osaka Prefecture, turned into a crime scene when an 80-year-old man fatally stabbed his 66-year-old ex-wife, who was working there. The attack happened around 2 p.m. at the Gourmet City Nozaki store, where the victim, Kumiko Oshikata, was employed. A colleague called emergency services after seeing her stabbed in the abdomen with a kitchen knife. She was rushed to hospital but died roughly two and a half hours later.
Police arrested the woman's ex-husband, Yoshitoshi Oshikata, at the scene. According to investigators, he told them he had brought the knife from home with the intention of killing her. Officers also revealed that the man is believed to be suffering from dementia — a detail that has drawn attention in Japan, where cases of elderly-on-elderly crime have been quietly rising as the population ages.
For visitors, it is worth putting this in context. Japan remains one of the safest countries in the world for travellers, with violent crime rates far below those of most Western nations. Supermarkets, konbini and shopping streets are ordinary, low-risk places, and incidents like this make national news precisely because they are so unusual. There is no indication that tourists were involved or that the location poses any broader risk.
The story resonates more as a window into Japanese society than as a travel warning. Daito is a residential city in the Osaka metro area, the kind of place most visitors pass through on the way to Osaka's food districts or Kyoto's temples. The case has sparked local discussion about elder care, family support systems and how communities cope with dementia — challenges that sit behind Japan's polished image as a holiday destination.
If anything, the practical takeaway for travellers is reassurance: even the most alarming local news rarely touches visitors, and normal caution is more than enough anywhere in the Kansai region.