Singer was covered in blood

Bags are seldom checked in Japan when pop stars meet their fans.

And this may have led to a shocking attack that has stunned the country known for its low rate of violent crimes.

On Sunday, a man wielding a saw slashed two members of the hugely popular Japanese girl group AKB48 during a meet-and-greet event in Takizawa, Iwate prefecture in Japan's north-east.

The two girls were in a booth shaking hands with their fans when the man, who was waiting in line, suddenly attacked them with what was reported as a 50cm-long saw.

The right thumb of Rina Kawaei, 19, was cut and broken while Anna Iriyama, 18, was cut on her right little finger, which was also broken during the scuffle. They also had small cuts on their heads.

An event staff member had lacerations on his left hand.

The girls underwent emergency surgery and their condition is stable, their manager told Japanese media. Reports last night said they had been discharged from hospital.

The Japan Times reported that the attacker was Satoru Umeta, 24, an unemployed man who is in police custody for attempted murder.

The suspect told police, "I attempted to kill people" and "I didn't care whom", Jiji Press reported, citing unnamed police sources.

AKB48 holds the Guinness record for being the world's largest pop group with 140 members who are divided into four main teams and other smaller ones. The "48" in their name refers to the number of original members.

About 50 members were said to be at this event. Fans were given around seven seconds to pose with their idols before they were moved along, the Yomiuri daily reported.

Kawaei and Iriyama were together in a booth when the man suddenly produced a saw, it added.

Fans told Japanese media they heard a scream, likely from one of the victims, saying, "Stop it!"

Some of the 100-plus staff and security guards pounced on the assailant and held him until the police arrived, reports said.

One fan said Kawaei was covered in blood when she was taken to a waiting ambulance.

A Tokyo concert scheduled for last night and other fan events were cancelled.

ANGUISH

Fans expressed anger and anguish after the attack, with some questioning why their idols were not better protected, AFP reported.

"What were the organisers doing?" demanded a 21-year-old student.

"I pray that the three people will be in good health again soon... and the two group members will show us soon they are in good shape," wrote another fan, "Yamasan", on an Internet forum.

"I also hope for a strengthening of security checks such as by introducing a metal detector," he said.

A 17-year-old who visited the group's theatre in Tokyo's busy Akihabara district - from which are derived the letters AKB - told the Yomiuri: "I'm very worried about my favourite member who was hurt. I don't understand why anyone would do such a thing."

Fans at the event told Japanese media that there were no bag checks and most of the group's events have only cursory checks at best.

This has prompted the nation to call for tighter security measures at such events.

Security checks tend to be light in Japan as violent crime involving weapons is rare.

Local fan Johnson Quek, a 22-year-old photographer, told The New Paper: "This is shocking news because you can't imagine this happening there, just like you can't imagine it happening here.

"This is a wake-up call to people who take safety at crowded fan events for granted. Psychos are everywhere.

"The girls must be horrified and as a fan I can only hope that this won't scar them emotionally and change their love for their fans."