Police Arrest Suspect After Attack at Tire Factory in Japan Leaves 14 Injured
Police in Japan arrested a man after a stabbing and chemical spray attack at a Yokohama Rubber factory in Shizuoka left 14 people injured. Victims remained conscious; the motive is under investigation.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A violent incident involving a stabbing spree and the spraying of an unidentified chemical liquid at a manufacturing facility in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, has left at least 14 people injured, according to a report by The Japan Times on Friday. Police have arrested a male suspect in connection with the attack, which disrupted operations at a tire plant in the city of Mishima.
The incident unfolded late Friday afternoon at a factory operated by Yokohama Rubber, a major tire manufacturer.
According to The Japan Times, authorities received an emergency call at approximately 4:30 p.m. alerting them to a violent disturbance on the premises. Tomoharu Sugiyama, a fire department official in Mishima, described the initial report received by emergency services, noting that the caller stated that “five or six people were stabbed by someone.”
In addition to the weapon attack, the caller reported that a “spray-like liquid” had been utilized during the assault, introducing a hazardous material component to the emergency response.
Following the arrival of first responders, it was determined that the scale of the casualties was higher than the initial estimate suggested by the emergency call. The Japan Times reported that 14 individuals were deemed “subject to transportation by emergency services” due to injuries sustained during the rampage.
Sugiyama confirmed that a fleet of ambulances was dispatched to the scene to manage the situation. Of the 14 victims identified at the site, at least six had been transported to hospitals for medical treatment by the time of the report.
While the exact nature of the injuries remains under assessment, early indications suggest that the victims survived the immediate assault.
The Japan Times cited reporting from the national broadcaster NHK, which stated that all victims remained conscious following the attack. However, officials have not yet released a comprehensive breakdown of the severity of the wounds, nor have they clarified how many of the injuries were caused by the blade versus the unspecified liquid sprayed during the incident.
Law enforcement officers at the scene moved quickly to detain a suspect. The Japan Times states that police arrested a man on suspicion of attempted murder. Investigative sources cited by The Asahi Shimbun daily indicated that the suspect is a man in his 30s.
Further details provided by NHK suggest that the man told police he was 38 years old. The relationship between the suspect and the facility appears to be internal; The Asahi Shimbun reported that the individual was “connected to the factory,” though the specific nature of his employment or affiliation was not immediately detailed in the initial reports.
The descriptions of the assailant provided by local media paint a disturbing picture of the attack.
According to The Japan Times, The Asahi Shimbun and other media outlets reported that the man was wearing what appeared to be a gas mask during the incident. This detail aligns with the reports of a chemical agent being deployed.
Furthermore, The Asahi Shimbun noted that the suspect was apparently armed with a weapon described as a “survival knife,” which was presumably used to inflict the stab wounds reported in the initial emergency call.
The location of the attack, a factory run by Yokohama Rubber, is a significant industrial site in the region. The facility is situated approximately 2.3 kilometers southeast of Mishima Station in Shizuoka Prefecture.
According to information available on the company’s webpage and cited by The Japan Times, the plant is responsible for producing tires for passenger cars. The facility is a substantial employer in the area, with data from December 2024 indicating that the factory had a workforce of 987 employees.
As the investigation continues, local authorities are likely to focus on the motive behind the attack and the composition of the liquid used. The presence of a gas mask and a survival knife suggests a degree of premeditation, although police have not yet released an official statement regarding the suspect’s intent.
The response by emergency services was extensive, involving the coordination of medical transport for more than a dozen people. The discrepancy between the initial report of “five or six” victims and the final count of 14 subject to transportation highlights the chaotic nature of the scene as paramedics triaged the injured.
The incident has drawn significant media attention in Japan, with major outlets such as NHK and The Asahi Shimbun providing piecemeal details that The Japan Times has consolidated.
As of Friday evening, the situation at the Yokohama Rubber factory had been contained following the arrest, but the medical status of the hospitalized victims and the specific chemical makeup of the spray remained key unanswered questions.
The intersection of a physical stabbing attack with a potential chemical element has complicated the incident, requiring a multifaceted response from both law enforcement and medical teams in Mishima.