Filmmaker Takeshi Kitano attacked with pickax in Japan

man who allegedly attacked a car carrying Japanese entertainment icon Takeshi Kitano with a pickax, has been arrested by the police in Tokyo.

Though nobody was injured, it was learnt that the 74-year-old director and actor also known by his stage name Beat Takeshi, was in the car with his driver and was just leaving the compound of TBS television network after his weekly live talk show Saturday night, when the incident occurred.

TBS and other media outlets said the attacker, a male in his 40s from Chiba region east of Tokyo cracked the windshield and beat other parts of the vehicle, demanding that Takeshi get out of the car. A security guard called police and the suspect was arrested at the scene.

It was also discovered that the man was carrying a knife with a 10-centimeter (4-inch) blade.

TBS said the suspect told police that he got angry after he was ignored in June when he kneeled down before Kitano’s car, seeking help to let him join the entertainment industry. Police are still interviewing the man to determine his motive

Kitano, also known by his stage name Beat Takeshi, first drew acclaim for his raw depictions of the violent world of Japanese organized crime. He garnered international fame for his roles in gritty dystopian thriller “Battle Royale” as well as in the eponymous comedy game show “Takeshi’s Castle”.

He won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for Hana-Bi in 1997 and has also directed other popular films including Zatoichi, Sonatine, and Outrage.