TOKYO - One man has died and two others were injured in a random stabbing incident on board a shinkansen bullet train on Saturday (June 9) night, local media reports said.

The man, who was in his 30s, was slashed in his neck and succumbed to his injuries while being transported to hospital. He is said to have been based in Osaka.

The other two victims are women in their 20s, and suffered from injuries to their heads and shoulders, among other areas, the Sankei Shimbun said, adding that their conditions have stabilised.

Police have nabbed an unemployed man who gave his name as Ichiro Kojima, 22, on suspicion of murder.

In the clearest sign that the stabbings were random and indiscriminate, Kojima reportedly told police: "I was feeling frustrated - anyone would do."

There were at least two knives found at the scene, and a police report was made about five minutes after the train pulled out of the Shin-Yokohama station at 9.42pm local time, or 8.42pm Singapore time.

There were about 880 passengers on board the train at the time of the incident.

The stabbings had occurred in the 12th carriage of the 16-car train service Nozomi 265, which runs between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka stations - considered to be one of the world's busiest train routes.

The suspect was nabbed at Odawara station.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK quoted an eyewitness - a high-school student - as saying that he saw a man being led away in handcuffs without putting up any resistance.

The man was surrounded by about a dozen policemen, he said, adding: "There was a lot of blood on his hands and waist."