Stabbing, chemical spray attack injures 15 at Japanese factory

Suspect is successful constabulary custody; nary accusation astir imaginable motive.

A antheral has carried retired a wide stabbing onslaught astatine a Japanese tyre factory, besides spraying victims with a chemic substance, according to section officials.

Eight radical were stabbed and 7 others were injured aft being sprayed by a bleach-like cause astatine the Yokohama Rubber Co tyremaker successful Japan’s Mishima, southwest of Tokyo, connected Friday, said the Fujisan Nanto Fire Department.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Japan gov’t greenlights grounds $58bn defence fund amid determination tension
• list 2 of 3Japan acceptable to restart world’s biggest atomic powerfulness plant
• list 3 of 3S Korea, Japan scramble warplanes successful effect to Russia, China aerial patrol

Japanese media named the fishy arsenic a 38-year-old who is present successful custody. He is being charged with attempted murder, reported Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper, citing the Shizuoka prefectural police.

The fishy was carrying a endurance weapon and wearing what appeared to beryllium a state mask, according to investigators cited successful the Asahi report. He is believed by constabulary to person acted alone, the study added, though determination was nary contiguous accusation astir a imaginable motive.

The Associated Press quality bureau cited the occurrence section arsenic saying 5 of the stab victims are successful superior condition, but conscious.

An worker of a adjacent car dealership said she was “shocked” to larn of the onslaught successful what is mostly a “quiet” area.

“I’m scared, but I’m besides shocked that it could person happened successful a spot similar this,” the unnamed worker told Asahi Shimbun.

Violent transgression is comparatively uncommon successful Japan, which has a debased execution complaint and immoderate of the world’s toughest weapon laws.

However, determination are occasional stabbing attacks and adjacent shootings, including the assassination of erstwhile Prime Minister Shinzo Abe successful 2022.

In June, Japan executed a man dubbed the “Twitter Killer”, aft helium was convicted of sidesplitting and dismembering 9 radical helium met connected societal media. The execution was the country’s archetypal usage of superior punishment successful astir 3 years.

A Japanese antheral was besides sentenced to decease successful October for a shooting and stabbing rampage that killed 4 people, including 2 constabulary officers, successful 2023.