Stabbing, liquid spray attack at tire factory injures 15; ex-employee arrested

MISHIMA, Shizuoka — Fifteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a rubber factory in central Japan on Friday during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, emergency officials said.

"All 15 people were sent to hospital," a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, told AFP.

The official, declining to be named, said that of the 15 injuries, eight were the result of stabbing and seven due to the liquid.

Some local media outlets, quoting unnamed sources, said the liquid appeared to be bleach.

Five of the victims were classified as "requiring emergency care" by emergency workers at the scene, but all have remained conscious, the official said.

Tomoharu Sugiyama, another official from the firefighting department, told AFP a call was initially received at about 4:30 p.m. from a rubber factory saying "people were stabbed by someone" and that a "spray-like liquid" had been used.

Japanese media, including public broadcaster NHK, reported that police had arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder. Police said the man, Masaki Oyama, 38, had previously been employed at the factory.

During the attack, he was wearing what appeared to be a gas mask, the newspaper and other media said.

Asahi Shimbun also said that he was apparently armed with what it described as a survival knife.

A fleet of ambulances were dispatched to the Yokohama Rubber Co factory, which according to its website makes tires for trucks and buses.

NHK aerial footage showed emergency workers and vehicles including fire trucks parked outside the factory.

Editor: Story has been updated with more details about the suspect.

© 2025 AFP