The stabbing spree in the rural island of Sumoto, which left five senior Japanese dead, is a rare case in Japan, according to reports.

Sumoto Police arrested 40-year-old Tatsuhiko Hirano, unemployed, who is the suspect in the stabbing of the elderly victims with ages ranging from 60 to 80. Since Sumoto is a small city on a remote island, it is a rare incident of rural stabbing in Japan.

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Hirano's motives for killing his five neighbors are still unclear. His victims were possibly his relatives because they share the same surname, reports CNN.

The police has yet to find the murder weapon. BBC reports that he had blood on his clothes and had initially admitted stabbing the five elderly Japanese.

Sumoto Deputy Police Chief Keizo Okumoto said that two of the dead victims --- a man and a woman --- were found in one house, while in another house there were three corpses made up of a man and two women, reports AP. The people in the first house were in their 80s, while those in the second house were in their late 50s and 60s.

Jiji Press said that the suspect lives in the same neighborhood with his father and grandmother, and their house is just adjacent to the residence of his victims. The latter were found bleeding on the floor or outside their house.

Residents noticed that Hirano rarely goes out of their house. A neighbor observed that he has been that way since he graduated from junior high school, reports Asahi Shimbun.

In January, Hirano allegedly posted messages on the Internet bulletin board complaining about his neighbors.

Sumoto, a city with a headcount of 44,000 residents on Awaji Island, Hyogo Prefecture, is not really known for heinous crimes but more for its produce such as oranges, onions and beef.

Okumoto said that the police in the city normally receives just one call daily, and often, it is about petty crimes such as a bike theft or someone was beaten up.

Tagssumoto, stabbing spree, rural island