Fifteen people have been injured after a knife and chemical attack at a tyre factory in Japan.

Eight people were taken to hospital after they were stabbed by a man with a knife at a factory of the tyre maker Yokohama Rubber Co. in the city of Mishima, in the Shizuoka prefecture, west of Tokyo, according to the fire department.

Seven others were injured by bleach thrown at them during the attack, and taken to hospitals for treatment, the fire department said.

The attacker, a 38-year-old man, was arrested for alleged attempted murder at the factory, police said.

Image: Pic: The Yomiuri Shimbun/AP

The motive for the attack is as yet unknown.

The fire department said five of the people who were stabbed were in serious condition, but other details were not available.

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All were conscious while they were being transported to hospitals, according to media reports.

The suspect is believed to be a former employee at the factory, Kyodo news agency said, quoting investigative sources.

He was carrying a survival knife and wearing what appeared to be a gas mask, Japanese newspaper Asahi reported, citing investigators.

Japan has strict gun control laws, and violent crimes are rare, but there have been a number of high-profile knife attacks in recent years.