At least two people died and five others were injured Thursday when a man believed to be a Chinese worker went on a stabbing rampage at a fish processing firm in Japan, police and press reports said.

The man in his 30s used a knife and a shovel to attack several people at the firm in Etajima, a port near the western city of Hiroshima, a prefectural police spokesman revealed by telephone.

"The number of injured may possibly rise," he said.

The man was believed to be Chinese and was arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder, an Etajima police officer said.

The TV Asahi network said the dead were the male president of the plant and a woman, and that the assailant was also injured.

AFP