At least 15 people were killed and 20 injured after a knife-wielding man gained entry to a facility for disabled people southwest of Tokyo.
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Police arrested a man who allegedly admitted to the killings at a nearby police station shortly afterwards.
The reports said the suspect was a former worker at the facility, which includes residential quarters for disabled people.
The attack occurred in the city of Sagamilhara, a city just west of Tokyo.
Police said they responded to a call about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday from an employee saying something awful was happening at the facility. He wrote he would then turn himself in to the police.
A man went on a stabbing rampage in January 2008, killing seven people and wounding a dozen others in a crowded Tokyo shopping street.
“I was told by a policeman to stay inside my house, as it could be unsafe”, she said. At least one media report said Uematsu had called for euthanasia of the severely disabled.
Kyodo News agency reported that 19 people are dead and 20 injured, including those in a condition of heart and lung failures.
NHK reported that the facility is usually locked at night but the suspect broke into the building by smashing a window. Kyodo later said the death toll stood at 19.
Japanese broadcaster NTV reported that Uematsu was upset because he had been fired, but that could not be independently confirmed.
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Eight children were stabbed to death at their school in Osaka by a former janitor in 2001. Police said they were still investigating possible motives.
