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At least 19 people have been killed and 45 wounded in Japan after a knifeman went on the rampage.

Satoshi Uematsu, 26, turned himself in following the stabbing spree in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture - Japan's worst mass killing in decades.

He sent bizarre texts around the time he commited yesterday's sickening crime, it has been reported.

A Twitter account under the Japanese name "Satoshi" was apparently maintained by the 26-year-old, reports Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.

The last tweet was sent about 2:50am (local time) on July 26, shortly after an employee at the Tsukui Yamayurien facility had called the cops.

It states: "May there be peace in the world."

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(Image: Kyodo/via REUTERS) (Image: Getty Images)

The words "beautiful Japan!!!!!!" were also tweeted in English.

Nineteen people are believed to have been killed although not all have been confirmed officially, authorities said.

Uematsu reportedly told police he wanted to "get rid of the disabled from this world".

Meanwhile, CCTV footage obtained by the Japan News Network showed Uematsu allegedly speeding to the site in a black Honda at 1.37am.

The footage shows him running out of the compound and driving away at 2.50am.

(Image: Twitter)

Sources at Tsukui Yamayurien told Asahi Shimbun that Uematsu was found handing out fliers near the facility that said: "It is wasteful to have the disabled continue living" earlier this year.

Locals saw a man dressed in black clothes holding a weapon in the grounds of the Tsukui Yamayuri Garden.

The 7.6 acre facility, established by the local government and nestled on the wooded bank of the Sagami River, cares for people with a wide range of disabilities, NHK said.

The attacker reportedly told police "I want to get rid of the disabled from this world."

Four of the injured are said to be in a serious condition.

Read more:Knifeman's chilling statement after being arrested for 19 deaths

(Image: Kyodo/via REUTERS)

Police say they have arrested a 26-year-old man who was a former staff member and that he has confessed to the stabbings.

The suspect reportedly escaped the facility but then turned himself in.

Officers swarmed the scene after receiving a call from staff just after 2.30am local time.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Google)

The attack comes after Japanese pop star Mayu Tomita was left in a coma in May after a fan stabbed her dozens of times because she reportedly refused his gift.

Police found a three-inch folding knife at the scene in western Tokyo.

A bloodstained mask and a trail of blood were found on the stairs near where the star was due to give a concert.

Tomohiro Iwazaki, 27, confessed to stabbing Tomita in the neck and chest.

He claimed he “ambushed” the star because she returned a gift he sent her.

(Image: AFP PHOTO / JIJI)

In March last year, five people were also stabbed to death in a knife attack on a Japanese island.

A man was arrested after the victims were discovered in two houses.

Media reports said those killed range in age from 60 to 80 and lived in homes set among farms in the city of Sumoto on Awaji Island.