Japanese Student Arrested After Two Killed With Crossbow

Japanese police on Thursday arrested a university student suspected of killing two members of his family with a crossbow and injuring two others in a rare violent crime in the country.

Police in Takarazuka city near Osaka in western Japan said they took the 23-year-old student, identified as Hideaki Nozu, into custody at the scene of the incident in a residential neighbourhood.

Two women in their 40s and 70s were confirmed dead, while two others -- also family members -- were injured and sent to hospital, a police official told AFP.

"Details, including his motive, are under investigation," the official said.

The man reportedly confessed saying: "I killed several members of my family."

Local media said police were alerted when a woman called saying: "My grandchild shot me with an arrow."

The two victims appeared to be his mother and grandmother, news reports said.

Violent crime is extremely rare in Japan, and weapons are tightly controlled.