SHIZUOKA, Japan, December 27 (ANI): Police on Saturday arrested a man in connection with a stabbing attack at the Mishima plant of Yokohama Rubber Co. in central Japan that injured 15 employees, Kyodo News reported.
The suspect was identified as 38-year-old Masaki Oyama, a former employee of the factory, according to a source familiar with the case.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at around 4:30 p.m. local time, when an emergency call reported that multiple people had been stabbed and that a liquid had been dispersed inside the facility.
Oyama, a resident of Mishima in Shizuoka Prefecture who is currently unemployed, is suspected of using a survival knife, indicating a strong intent to kill, Kyodo News reported.
A total of 15 male employees, ranging in age from their 20s to 50s, were injured and taken to hospital. All were conscious, authorities said.
According to the fire department, eight of the victims sustained stab wounds, while the remaining seven were possibly affected by the liquid released during the incident.
Sources said Oyama had previously worked at the Mishima factory and lived in a nearby employee dormitory.
Yokohama Rubber’s Mishima plant, which manufactures car tires, employed approximately 980 people as of 2024 and is located about one kilometer from the Mishima city office.
While Japan is known for low levels of violent crime, reflected in a low homicide rate and strict firearms regulations, isolated incidents continue to occur.
Past cases include the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 and a shooting and stabbing spree in 2023 that left four people dead, including two police officers. In that case, a man was sentenced to death in October.
More recently, in May, a 43-year-old man was charged with attempted murder following a knife attack at Tokyo’s Toda-mae metro station.
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