FUKUOKA (Kyodo) A taxi driver in Kitakyushu suffered cuts to his neck early Sunday when he was slashed by a passenger who drove off in the taxi, police said.
The driver, Yutaka Takaki, 59, was not in a life-threatening condition, the police said.
They are investigating the case as a robbery resulting in bodily injury and launched a search for the suspect.
There have been a spate of taxi robberies in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures that started late last year. Two drivers have been killed.
The suspect in the 3:10 a.m. Kitakyushu attack, a man believed to be around 60 years old, reportedly told Takaki to hand him money or he would stab him. He reportedly slashed Takaki's neck using what appeared to be a box cutter and made off in the taxi.
A nearby resident called the police, saying somebody was screaming, and officers found the injured Takaki.
The incident took place about 12 km from JR Kokura Station, where the suspect got into the taxi, according to the police.
Two taxi drivers were murdered and robbed in late December in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures.