School killing shocks Japan

A 13-year-old Japanese boy stabbed a classmate to death yesterday, further shocking a nation rocked by a wave of teenage crime. The boy, at a school near Tokyo, stabbed a similar-aged pupil in the chest during a break between classes. They had quarrelled over a practical joke played on the killer by the victim, police said. The Chief Cabinet Secretary, Kanezo Muraoka, used the killing to appeal for a joint effort by the government, schools, parents and local communities to deter youth crime.

- Reuters, Tokyo