At least four people were injured Thursday after a man fired something resembling a hunting rifle in Nakano city in Nagano Prefecture in central Japan, the country's public broadcaster NHK reported.

Police received a call in the late afternoon with reports that a "man stabbed a woman," NHK reported.

When police arrived at the scene, the man fired something resembling a hunting rifle, injuring four people before fleeing and barricading himself in a building, NHK added.

NHK reported the suspect was wearing a camouflage hat, top and bottoms with sunglasses and a mask.

Nakano City urged citizens to stay indoors in a statement posted onto social media Thursday.

Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan. The country has one of the lowest rates of gun crimes in the world due to its extremely strict gun control laws.

In 2018, Japan, a country of 125 million people, only reported nine deaths from firearms -- compared with 39,740 that year in the United States, according to data compiled by the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. This is a breaking news story, more to follow