A man has been arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with bleach at a tire factory in central Japan, authorities have said.
Eight people were hospitalised after they were stabbed by the knifeman at a factory of global major tiremaker Yokohama Rubber Co in the city of Mishima, in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department said.
Five of the people who were stabbed were left in a serious condition, the fire department said, without providing any further details on their health.
A 38-year-old man has been arrested at the factory, Shizuoka prefectural police said. He has been charged with attempted murder.
During the attack, the suspect was carrying a survival knife and what appeared to be a gas mask, investigators said according to Japanese newspaper Asahi.
The outlet reported that the alleged attacker was someone who was connected to the factory.
Seven others were also injured by the bleach thrown at them during the attack, and taken to hospitals for treatment, the fire department said.
The Japan Times, citing national broadcaster NHK, initially said the victims remained conscious, but that officials had not issued a full breakdown of the severity of the wounds.
Tomoharu Sugiyama, an official from the fire department, said a call had first been received at around 4:30 from a rubber factory saying “people were stabbed by someone” and that a “spray-like liquid” had been used by the assailant, The Japan Times reported.
A fleet of ambulances was dispatched to the factory, which is around 2.3 kilometres southeast of Mishima Station, and produces passenger car tires. As of December 2024, the factory had 987 workers, according to the company’s website.
Aerial footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed vehicles including fire trucks parked outside the factory, while emergency workers rushed to work following the mass attack.
Japan has strict gun control laws and is known for rare violent crimes, but there have been a number of high-profile knife attacks in recent years.
