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TOKYO, JAPAN - JAPANESE Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Thursday offered a silent prayer to victims of last week's knifing spree as he made a side trip to Tokyo's comic book subculture district.
Mr Fukuda, who was reportedly on his way to his eye doctor, paid a brief stop in Akihabara, Tokyo's hub of comic books and video games where a disturbed young auto worker killed seven people on June 8.
The prime minister joined his hands for several moments in prayer at a makeshift shrine covered by a white cloth, where mourners have left bouquets of flowers and - in a local twist - comic books.
The Akihbara massacre shocked many in Japan as it emerged that the culprit, 25-year-old Tomohiro Kato, had sent dozens of messages outlining his plans as he drove a truck to the scene of the crime.
Once in Akihabara, Kato swerved his two-tonne rented truck into the crowd of pedestrians before randomly slashing shoppers.
Mr Fukuda, 71, is facing low approval ratings amid opposition charges that the veteran lawmaker is out of touch with the general public.
One day earlier, Mr Fukuda flew to the site of a powerful earthquake in northern Japan to console people staying in shelters after the disaster that killed 11 people. -- AFP
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