The weapon used in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was home-made and is of great concern to authorities around the world.
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The manufacture of guns worries police because they don’t have to go through customs before they get into the hands of users.
Japan is the G7 country with the lowest rate of gun ownership among civilians. In 2018, according to the Small Arms Survey, there were around 375,000 firearms in circulation, a rate of 0.4 firearms per 100 residents.
In contrast, Canada is the second most armed G7 country by population. There were more than 13,000,000 firearms in circulation in 2018, which corresponds to 34.7 guns per 100 inhabitants.
Canada has 35 times more guns among the population than Japan. However, the country has around 87,000,000 fewer inhabitants…
Francis Langlois, an expert on gun policy at the Raoul Dandurand Chair, explains that Japan is a very safe country.
“I lived in Japan for more than a year to work and I walked around every day with $700-$800 in my pocket and I was never, never scared,” he recalls.
craft weapons
The manufacture of artisanal weapons then poses a major challenge for the Japanese authorities as the technology is increasingly developed for artisanal manufacturers.
“With new technologies we can now print quality guns and by using metal components we can have printed guns assembled at home,” emphasizes Mr. Langlois.
The specialist points out that the practice is becoming increasingly affordable and easier to do, a sign that the problem for the police is significant.
***See the full interview with Francis Langlois above***