Japanese chef Wataru Kakiuchi stabbed to death in Vancouver Chinatown

Japanese chef Wataru Kakiuchi was fatally stabbed in Vancouver earlier this week, the local Japanese consulate general said on Thursday after being notified of the attack by police.

Kakiuchi, 32, was found fatally injured at around 3:30am local time on Wednesday on a street near the city’s Chinatown and died before he could be taken to hospital, local media said.

Kakiuchi, who was popular among locals, was waiting for a ride home after going out drinking on Tuesday night when he was attacked, according to media reports.

He began working in Vancouver at a Japanese-style izakaya restaurant in 2015, sometimes bringing his guitar for jamming sessions, and had expressed his desire to remain in Canada permanently, the media reported.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim issued a statement calling the stabbing “senseless” and offered his condolences to Kakiuchi’s family, friends and colleagues.

“Wataru Kakiuchi was more than a talented chef … he was a positive presence and a cherished friend to many,” the statement said.