A potentially armed man held an unknown number of hostages at a post office in Saitama department (northwest of Tokyo) this Tuesday, October 31st. He was arrested, police said.
Violent crime is rare in Japan, the murder rate is low and gun laws are among the strictest in the world. And yet this Tuesday at around 2:15 p.m. (05:15 GMT) in the town of Warabi, “a person took hostages and took refuge in a post office,” the authorities of that municipality stated on their website, stating that it This person was in possession of an object that resembled a firearm.
There could be around ten employees in the building
“Anyone near the scene is asked to follow police instructions and evacuate in accordance with those instructions,” the statement continued. According to the Yomiuri daily newspaper, there could be around ten postal employees in the building. Police asked 300 residents in the area to evacuate their homes, TV station TBS reported.
Television images later showed one of the hostages, a woman in her 20s, leaving the post office shortly before 7:30 p.m. It was not possible to determine exactly how many people were still inside. Several police cars were parked near the post office.
Dark jacket and hat
The incident occurred as police were investigating one or more shots heard in the same area earlier in the day. Two people sustained minor injuries in this incident, but the causes of the injuries are unknown. It was also unclear whether the two incidents were related.
Television footage showed the alleged hostage-taking at the post office, in which he was wearing a dark jacket and cap and appeared to be holding a gun. The man was eventually arrested. “Details will follow later,” said a police spokesman for the Saitama department, northwest of Tokyo.
Several attacks have recently rocked the archipelago, including the July 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was killed with a homemade gun during a campaign speech. And last April, current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was also attacked by an improvised explosive device during an election rally. He escaped unhurt, but two other people sustained minor injuries.