A Japanese opposition member of parliament known for his investigating of ruling party scandals was stabbed to death today.
Police said Democratic Party politician Mr Koki Ishii (61) was attacked in front of his home in central Tokyo by an unidentified man who ran away.
Media reports said Mr Ishii had been about to step into his car when a man wearing a red bandana approached and stabbed him, apparently with a sashimi knife, without saying anything.
The reports said the man had been seen outside Mr Ishii's home in the upmarket Setagaya neighbourhood for about two hours before the killing.
The motive for the crime was unclear, but Mr Ishii was known for his efforts to expose corruption and was was head of an "anti-corruption task force" inside the Democratic Party.
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been tainted over the years by many corruption scandals.
Three of seven by-elections to be held on Sunday are to replace LDP politicians forced to step down over alleged misdeeds.
Japan saw its last political assassination of a lawmaker in 1960 when a Socialist leader was killed by a right-winger.