According to national broadcaster NHK, Kusakabe told police he was acting in "retribution for the death penalty" without giving more precise details. NHK footage showed a small box vehicle with a smashed front and paramedics carrying people on stretchers into ambulances.
Local media said a container with kerosene inside was found inside the rental car. The attacker, who reportedly drove the vehicle from the western region of Osaka, has told investigators that he planned to burn the vehicle, according to private network Fuji TV.