Priest killed in samurai sword attack

The head priest of a prominent shrine in Tokyo was ambushed and killed with a samurai sword, apparently by her brother, who then took his own life, police in the Japanese capital have said.

A female accomplice also died in the attack and the priest’s driver was injured, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said.

The motive was unclear, though Japanese media reported there may have been a feud between the priest and her brother.

Nagako Tomioka, the 58-year-old head of Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, was attacked as she got out of her car on Thursday night, police said.