A man was charged Wednesday with murder and violating the weapons control law for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend on a street in the southwestern Japanese city of Fukuoka last month.

Fukuoka prosecutors concluded it was unnecessary to evaluate the criminal responsibility of Susumu Terauchi, 31, as there were no inconsistencies with his testimony, and the fact that he fled the scene suggested he was aware of the illegality of his act, investigative sources said.

According to the indictment, Terauchi murdered Miki Kawano, 38, by stabbing her multiple times in the head and chest with a kitchen knife near JR Hakata Station on the evening of Jan. 16.

Police investigate the scene where a woman was stabbed in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 16, 2023. (Kyodo)

Kawano had consulted with police multiple times since last October, claiming she was accosted and followed by Terauchi after breaking up with him.

The police issued a warning against him the same month and banned him from approaching her based on the stalker regulation law the following month.

Footage from security cameras near the crime scene showed Terauchi quarreling with Kawano on the road just before stabbing her and leaving, according to the investigative sources.

Following his arrest on Jan. 18, Terauchi told police that he had stabbed Kawano because she refused to get back together.

==Kyodo