TOKYO - A middle-aged man believed to be a Malaysian national has died in Japan after being stabbed 40 times, police said Tuesday.

The man who was found covered in blood lying in a carpark in a working class district of northern Tokyo on Monday evening, possessed a Malaysian passport identifying him as Huang Tian Cheng, 45.

He died in hospital late Monday from loss of blood due to multiple stab wounds.

No clear motive

"There were 40 stab wounds in the neck, face and chest," said a spokesman for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, adding police were searching for the attacker.

The motive for the attack was not clear, as the man's wallet and passport were still on him. Jiji Press said a bloodstained woman's pyjama top and a t-shirt with hole in it were found nearby, suggesting someone else was also stabbed.

The passport showed Huang entered Japan on April 29 on a 90-day tourist visa. - AFP