Fifteen people were injured in a stabbing attack at a rubber factory on Friday in Mishima, central Japan, after a man wielding a knife also sprayed an unspecified liquid.
Kyodo News Agency said the attack took place at a tire factory west of Tokyo, where several workers were stabbed. Japanese media reported that eight people suffered stab wounds, while seven others were injured after being sprayed with what was later identified as bleach.
Tomoharu Sugiyama, an official at the Mishima firefighting department in Shizuoka Prefecture, said emergency services received a call at around 4:30 pm reporting that “five or six people had been stabbed” and that a “spray-like liquid” had been used. Fourteen of the injured were transported to hospital for treatment.
Police arrested a 38-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. According to the Asahi newspaper, the suspect was carrying a survival knife and wearing a gas mask at the time of the attack.
He was detained inside the factory, which is operated by Yokohama Rubber Co., a manufacturer of tires for trucks and buses.
Violent crime remains relatively rare in Japan, which has one of the world’s lowest murder rates and strict gun control laws.
However, the country has seen sporadic knife attacks in recent years, including several high-profile incidents that have raised concerns about public safety.
