Seven people have been killed and 12 wounded in a stabbing rampage in Tokyo, Japan.

The deadly lunchtime attack in the Akihabara electronics district reportedly occurred after the man attacker drove a two-ton truck into a crowd of pedestrians, running over three people.

Police said they arrested Tomohiro Kato, 25, at the scene.

A spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said: "The suspect told police he went to Akihabara to kill people."

The man said he was tired of life and sick of everything, according to the spokesman.

Local media have said Kato is a member of one of the yakuza crime syndicates, but police have not confirmed this.

Once rare, stabbing attacks have become more frequent in Japan in recent years as violent crime has increased.

In one of the worst attacks, a man with a history of mental illness burst into an elementary school in Japan in 2001 and killed eight children.

The killer was executed in 2004.

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