Three people have died, including two police officers, in a knife-and-gun attack in Japan.

Three people were killed and one injured in a terrorist attack in Nagano, Japan on Thursday. The two dead were police officers. Reuters.

According to preliminary data, the attacker stabbed the woman and shot the other victims with a shotgun. After committing the crime, the suspect barricaded himself inside the building. Motives for the act are still unknown.

Local authorities appealed to the population not to leave their homes in a statement distributed through social networks.

Gun crimes are extremely rare in Japan as gun ownership is heavily regulated and anyone who wants to own one must go through a rigorous process before being granted a permit.

In update