J-Pop Idol Mayu Tomita Stabbed by Fan in Tokyo

Mayu Tomita from the group Secret Girls collapsed on the ground after being stabbed in the neck and was immediately rushed to the hospital.

Twenty-year-old J-Pop star Mayu Tomita was brutally stabbed by a knife-wielding assailant at a fan event in Koganei, Tokyo, on Saturday. The idol, who rose to fame as part of the Fuji TV online series and recording group Secret Girls, was reportedly stabbed more than 20 times.

Tomita collapsed on the ground after being stabbed in the neck and was immediately rushed to the hospital. She has not regained consciousness, according to reports. Tomita was scheduled to perform later the same evening.

Police arrested Tomohiro Iwazaki, 27, after the incident. Eyewitnesses identified him as the man who assaulted Tomita with a pocket knife. According to reports, Iwazaki admitted carrying out the assault. Earlier in the month, the singer had told police that Iwazaki was stalking her.

In 2011, Tomita, not to be confused with an AKB48 singer of the same name, was chosen to star in the online series Secret Girls and perform under the same moniker. The show was about five normal junior high school girls who lead secret lives as J-Pop stars.

The attack is reminiscent of a 2014 assault in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture, where a knife-wielding man slashed three members of the genre-leading group AKB48. The idol singers were not seriously injured.

This story first appeared on Billboard.com.