Stabbing, chemical spray attack injures 15 at Japanese factory

Local authorities claim that a man sprayed the victims with a chemical substance in addition to a mass stabbing attack at a Japanese tire factory.

The Fujisan Nanto Fire Department reported that on Friday at the Yokohama Rubber Co tyremaker in Mishima, southwest of Tokyo, eight people were stabbed and seven others injured after being sprayed with bleach-like material.

The suspect, 38, is currently being held in custody, was identified by Japanese media. According to the Shizuoka prefectural police, he is facing an attempted murder charge, according to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

According to investigators cited in the Asahi report, the suspect was carrying a survival knife and a mask that appeared to be a gas mask. Although there was no specific information about a potential motive, the report added that police believed him to have acted alone.

Five of the stab victims are said to be in serious condition, but they are conscious, according to the fire department, according to the Associated Press news agency.

A nearby car dealership employee described the incident as “shocked” by the news that it occurred in a “quiet” part of the city.

The unnamed employee told Asahi Shimbun, “I’m scared, but I’m also shocked that it could have happened there.”

Japan, which has one of the toughest gun laws in the world, and a low murder rate, is a relatively uncommon place to commit violent crime.

However, there are occasionally shootings and stabbings, including Shinzo Abe’s assassination in 2022.

After he was found guilty of killing and dismembering nine people he met on social media, Japan executed a man in June dubbed the “Twitter Killer.” The execution marked the first execution in nearly three years in the nation.