Knife attacks plague Japan

Tokyo: A man was stabbed and seriously injured north of Tokyo on Wednesday, the latest in a spate of knife attacks that have plagued Japan.

A 51-year-old man was arrested for the latest attack which occurred at a suburban office in Niiza, a police spokesman said.

A woman stabbed and hurt six people at a station southwest of Tokyo, while an 18-year-old man stabbed his former teacher on Tuesday in central Japan.

Last week a man killed a 22-year-old student and injured another person in a random knife attack at a book store in western Tokyo.

Police said the man did it partly to get his name on television, domestic media said.

Last month, seven people were killed when a disgruntled factory worker went on a knife rampage in a crowded popular shopping district in Tokyo, running some of his victims down with a truck and stabbing others.

The government announced a clampdown and urged police to step up their presence in crowded shopping areas.