A man describing himself as “sick and tired of life” killed seven people in a frenzied knifing rampage in Tokyo’s world-famous electronics district after running others over in a hired lorry.

The horrific scenes of Japan’s worst random killing spree created pandemonium in Akihabara. The violence brought the nation to a standstill as TV broadcasts were interrupted to show the carnage at one of Tokyo’s most famous crossroads.

Seventeen people fell victim to the midday attacks, which coincided with the peak of the “shoppers’ paradise” period – a favourite day on which the neon-lined streets of the Akihabara district are pedestrianised and attract many times the usual visitor numbers.

Tomohiro Kato, 25, from Susono in Shizuoka, was arrested soon after the mayhem and is understood to have confessed immediately to the killings. He reportedly told police: “I came to Akihabara to kill people because I am sick and tired of life. Anyone was fair game. I came here alone.”

The attack, on the seventh anniversary of one of Japan’s most notorious school killing sprees, appears to have involved some planning.

The killer, who is said to work in a car components factory, is thought to have rented a two-tonne lorry in his native prefecture and driven it to the edge of Akihabara’s pedestrian zone. He slammed on the accelerator, according to witnesses, and the truck weaved across the road to cause maximium panic and confusion. One bystander saw bodies flying through the air as the lorry made its way down the broad shopping street. The killer ran several people down before leaping from the vehicle and slashing at the crowds with a hunting knife.

When the knife attacks began, witnesses told The Times, the man was “roaring like an animal”, grunting unintelligible curses as he charged from victim to victim on his way towards Akihabara railway station. Some were stabbed in the ribs, others in the back. The victims included a police officer.

One witness said that she had seen a “sea of blood” on the crossroads where the killing began, but like many others fled in panic to a nearby electronics shop as the attacker turned his attention on the crowds. Other witnesses said that they had seen Mr Kato jumping on the bodies of people he had already run down in his vehicle and repeatedly hammering at them with the heavy blade.

Millions from around Japan and across the globe flock to the super-high-tech streets of Akihabara every year. For many it represents the very soul of Japan’s gadget-loving culture, and in a rapidly ageing society it has also become one of the few growing hubs of youth culture: mingled with the electronics shops are countless boutiques catering to Japan’s otaku sub-culture of manga, vintage toys, video games and hentai pornography.

The ages of those killed in the spree – a 21-year-old woman and men aged 19, 20, 29, 33, 47 and 74 – attests to the very wide popularity of Akihabara. Many said that the incident would change it forever. Shun Koizumi, an Akihabara regular, said that he would be reluctant to return now that the area had lost its sense of safety.

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