[1/2] The Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) shooting range, where a teenage member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting, is seen in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan on June 14.2023, on this from Photo taken by Kyodo. Mandatory credit… Read more
TOKYO, June 14 (Portal) – A member of the Japan Self-Defense Force (SDF) was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder after a shootout that left two dead, local media reported.
An 18-year-old SDF member is said to have injured three other people with automatic weapon fire, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the Ministry of Defense. The victims were taken to the hospital, two died from their injuries, NHK said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the incident happened around 9 a.m. at an SDF shooting range in Hino City, in central Japan’s Gifu Prefecture. An SDF spokesman said eight shots were fired.
The victims included a man in his 50s and two in his 20s, and there were no reports of civilian casualties, NHK said.
Shootings are extremely rare in Japan, where gun ownership is tightly regulated and anyone wishing to own a gun must go through a rigorous screening process.
Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Edited by Chang-Ran Kim, Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.