Stabbing, liquid toss attack in Japan rubber factory injures 15

A man was arrested after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what was believed to be bleach at a rubber factory in central Japan on Friday, officials said.

Eight people were taken to hospitals after being stabbed by the man with a knife at the Yokohama Rubber Company in the city of Mishima, in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, according to the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department.

The department told The Associated Press five of the people stabbed were in serious condition but other details weren’t available.

Seven others were injured by the liquid thrown at them during the attack, the fire department said.  

Shizuoka prefectural police said the attacker, a 38-year-old man, was arrested for alleged attempted murder at the factory, but didn’t give further details.

Tomoharu Sugiyama, a Mishima Fire Department official told French news agency AFP a call was received at about 4.30 p.m. (2:30 AM EST) from the factory. 

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, which has a low murder rate and some of the world’s toughest gun laws.