OSAKA -- A man struck two passersby with a hatchet early July 24 in a park in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, inflicting serious injuries, police said.

Police arrested the man on suspicion of attempted murder. The man, identified as Tsuyoshi Kataoka, 52, who is unemployed and of no fixed address, told police he attacked the two people because he was frustrated by the sweltering heat, they said.

Police quoted Kataoka as saying he picked his targets randomly. According to investigators, Kataoka struck Yoshimi Yasui, a 28-year-old female company employee of Higashi-Osaka, who was on her way to work, and Kunio Mimura, 68, a former office worker, who was sitting on a bench in the park.

Yasui was slashed on the head and one of her arms while Mimura suffered a fractured skull. They were taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance. Doctors said both would require at least one month of treatment.

Kataoka was overpowered by three male passersby, including 43-year-old Koji Nakazuka. They held the man until police arrived and took him into custody. The hatchet was 37 cm long with a 17-cm blade, police said.