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

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

The fire department said that five of the people who were stabbed were in serious condition, but other details were not available.

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

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The suspect was carrying a survival knife and wearing what appeared to be a gas mask, the major Japanese newspaper Asahi reported, citing investigators.

Seven others were also injured by the bleach thrown at them during the attack, and taken to hospitals for treatment, the fire department said.

No other details were immediately known.

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.

However, there are occasional stabbing attacks and even shootings, including the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

A Japanese man was sentenced to death in October for a shooting and stabbing rampage that killed four people, including two police officers, in 2023.

A 43-year-old man was also charged with attempted murder in May over a knife attack at Tokyo’s Toda-mae metro station.

Japan remains shaken by the memory of a major subway attack in 1995 when members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on trains, killing 14 people and making more than 5,800 ill.

On March 20, 1995, five members of the Aum cult dropped bags of Nazi-developed sarin nerve agent inside morning commuter trains on March 20, 1995, piercing the pouches with sharpened umbrella tips before fleeing.

AP, AFP