Police in Chiba Prefecture are investigating two violent robbery incidents that occurred within hours of each other in the prefecture early Sunday morning, leaving two men injured.

At approximately 5:25 a.m. Sunday, emergency services received a call from a woman in her 60s from the city of Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, stating that a young man had broken into her home through the windows and stabbed her husband in the back.

The 69-year-old victim was taken to hospital. Authorities have confirmed that his injuries are not life-threatening.

Three hours earlier, a 66-year-old man in the city of Kashiwa, also in Chiba Prefecture, sustained minor injuries after reportedly being assaulted by a home intruder.

Police are treating both incidents as armed robberies and are analyzing potential links between the two cases. The attackers in both cases are at large.

Police say that the victim in the Asahi robbery was stabbed after he discovered the intruder rummaging through his belongings.

The suspect is described as being approximately 180 centimeters tall, with brown hair. He was reportedly wearing black clothes at the time of the incident.

In the Kashiwa incident, the victim called authorities around 2:30 a.m., stating that an intruder had strangled him and hit him several times in the face.

According to the victim, the attack occurred after he heard noises upstairs and went to investigate, only to discover two intruders, one of whom wore black clothing and a black mask.

Translated by The Japan Times