A man brandishing a knife stabbed a woman in a Pokemon store in downtown Tokyo before turning the knife on himself, leaving both dead, Japanese police said Thursday.

Officers rushed to the scene in a popular shopping center after receiving an emergency call reporting a rampage by a knife-wielding man.

Police said the woman, who was stabbed in the neck, was in her 20s and believed to be an employee at the Pokemon store on the second floor of the Sunshine City building, which houses shops and offices.

The attacker then stabbed himself in the neck, Tokyo police said. Both the attacker and the victim were in critical condition when they were taken to hospital and were later pronounced dead, police said.

Police said the case is still under investigation and that they had no other details.

Japan's NHK public television said shoppers were fleeing from the site, and employees at nearby shops were closing the shutters for safety.