Man stabs 4 at Japanese hospital

Man stabs 4 at Japanese hospital

A knife-wielding patient was arrested after stabbing three nurses and a policeman.

Policemen stand guard in front of a hospital where a knife-wielding man stabbed three nurses and a policeman in Shikokuchuo, Ehime Prefecture, western Japan. (Reuters pic)
TOKYO:
A knife-wielding man stabbed three nurses and a policeman at a hospital in western Japan on Friday, police said, the latest stabbing incident in the country.

The nurses were stabbed in the chest and abdomen but their wounds were not life-threatening, police said, adding that a policeman was also wounded in his left arm.

Police arrested a 45-year-old male patient who had stabbed one nurse and ran way. The two other nurses and policeman were wounded as they tried to apprehend the man, police said.

Violent crime is rare in Japan where most incidents involve knives or swords due to the country’s strict gun laws.

In May, a knife-wielding man slashed at a group of schoolgirls at a bus stop, killing one girl and wounding 16 others in an incident that shocked the nation.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.