1 person is killed and 2 injured in stabbing outside Nagano station in central Japan

TOKYO — One person died and two others were injured in a knife attack Wednesday night outside a train station in Nagano in central Japan, and police were looking for a suspect who fled, authorities said.

Nagano police and fire department officials said a 49-year-old man was pronounced dead at a hospital. A 37-year-old man was wounded but conscious, while a 46-year-old woman had a head injury from falling.

Those attacked described the suspect as an unfamiliar middle-aged man, the Kyodo News agency reported. The stabbing occurred near a bus terminal outside Nagano station.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, which has strict gun control laws. But in recent years there have been a number of high-profile cases involving random knife attacks and arson on subways.