A construction worker went on a rampage with a samurai sword Monday morning, leaving one man dead and two others wounded after creditors demanded he turn over his house in Arai, Niigata Prefecture.
The incident occurred at around 10:50 at the man's house, the police said.
Real estate agent Katsuya Fujisawa, 28, suffered stab wounds to his stomach and the back of his head, and died at a local hospital. Kiyomi Tamura, 50, head of the real estate company, and another real estate agent, Kastumasa Sato, 44, suffered cuts to their backs and hands.
The suspect, identified only as a 58-year-old man, suffered cuts on his left hand and was taken to a hospital, police said, adding that they will arrest him on suspicion of murder after he recovers.
Tamura operates the real estate company that owns the house, the police said. The police suspect the incident revolves around the real estate agents' seizing of the house for auction.
Six people including an appointee of the Niigata Regional Trial Court visited the house Monday morning. Initially, the suspect's wife received them in the living room on the first floor.
The suspect then appeared wielding the sword and started attacking the visitors while shouting at them to get out of the house, the police said.
When police officers rushed to the house, the suspect was semiconscious. It was not clear whether the suspect's injuries were self-inflicted.
The incident took place in a residential area about 1.5 km south of Arai Station on the JR Shinetsu Main Line.
According to neighbors, the suspect lived in the house with his wife and two sons. His construction business appeared to have been thriving several years ago but was recently in decline, they said.