Knife and liquid-throwing attack at Japanese tire factory leaves 15 injured

A man was arrested Friday after stabbing eight people and injuring seven others with what appears to be bleach at a tire factory in central Japan, officials said. There was no immediate explanation for his motives.

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

The department told The Associated Press that five of those stabbed were in serious condition, but further details were not available.

Seven other people were injured by liquid thrown at them during the attack and taken to hospital, firefighters said.

Police in Shizuoka Prefecture said the attacker, a 38-year-old man, was arrested for suspected attempted murder at the factory.

French news agency AFP reports that the Asahi Shimbun daily, citing investigative sources, says the man had ties to the factory. He was wearing what appeared to be a gas mask, the newspaper and other media outlets said. Asahi also said he was apparently armed with what he described as a survival knife.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan, where the murder rate is low and gun laws are among the strictest in the world.