A woman in her 40s was stabbed by a man in central Tokyo's Akasaka district on Sunday, leaving her seriously injured, police said, adding that the suspected attacker fled the scene.

Around 10:25 a.m., police received an emergency call reporting that a woman was bleeding in a building after having been stabbed by a man wearing black headwear.

The woman sustained serious wounds to her abdomen and hand but was conscious when taken to a hospital, according to the police.

She is believed to have been attacked with a knife while she was waiting alone just outside a live music club on the basement floor. The victim, thought to be a singer, was scheduled to perform there.

The police said they are searching for the suspect, quoting the woman as saying she did not know him.

The attack occurred in a commercial district about 150 meters southwest of Tokyo Metro's Akasaka-mitsuke Station in Minato Ward. Akasaka, where a major TV station is located, is one of the capital's best-known entertainment and business districts.