A Japanese self-defense force trainee was arrested for allegedly opening fire on other soldiers at a shooting range and killing two of them, local media reported, in a country that rarely sees gun violence.
The shooting occurred on Wednesday morning at a facility in Gifu, central Japan, the government’s top spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno confirmed at a press briefing. The 18-year-old suspect was restrained by nearby troops before being taken into police custody, according to Kyodo news agency.
The incident comes less than a year after the nation was shocked by the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign speech. Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan, where possession of firearms is strictly regulated with extensive tests required to obtain a hunting license. There were just nine cases of gun violence last year, six of them involving gang members, according to police data.
A member of the Ground Self-Defense Force in his 50s and two others in their 20s were injured in Wednesday’s shooting and taken to a hospital, where two of them were pronounced dead, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the local fire department.
The trainee allegedly fired on the other soldiers with a rifle just after a training session began at around 9 a.m., NHK said. He was arrested for attempted murder, it said.
(Updates with deaths, other information)
