TOKYO -- Police say a knife-wielding man slashed and killed an officer in a local police station, took the man's gun and fatally shot a security guard outside a nearby elementary school in northern Japan. Toyama prefectural police said the unidentified male suspect was shot by a second policeman and captured after the attack Tuesday.

They said his motive was not known.

Teachers locked the school gate after the attack and put all children into classrooms for safety. TV video showed many police officers outside the school.

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Japan, known for its relatively low crime rate, has recently experienced a series of apparently random stabbings.