A man was found with a stab wound on the left side of his chest in an apartment building in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, on Wednesday, after a passerby reported black smoke rising from the structure at about 11:05 a.m.
The man, who appeared to be in his 40s, told rescuers that he had been stabbed, the fire department said. His condition is unknown.
The room on the second floor of a two-story building was severely damaged by the fire. Investigative sources said the entrance to the room was covered with blood.
"I saw flames shooting up from the room on the second floor and saw a person covered with a blue sheet being carried away on a stretcher. I hope he will survive," a woman in her 40s who lives nearby said.
The apartment is located in a residential area some 1 kilometer southeast of Hattori-tenjin Station on the Hankyu Takarazuka Line.
