Japanese chef Kakiuchi stabbed to death in Vancouver street

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

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

Kakiuchi, who was popular among locals, was waiting for a ride home after going out for drinks 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 jam sessions, and had expressed a desire to stay in Canada permanently, media reported.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim issued a statement calling the attack “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 treasured friend to many,” the statement said.