Gun Policy News
Firearm violence, gun control and small arms
Japan's Strict Gun Laws Make Shootings Rare
8 July 2022
CNN
The assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has shocked Japan, a country with one of the world's lowest rates of gun crime due to its strict laws on gun ownership.
Abe was shot dead on Friday in the city of Nara while delivering a campaign speech, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said.
Gun violence is extremely rare in Japan.
In 2018, Japan, a country of 125 million people, only reported nine deaths from firearms -- compared with 39,740 that year in... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Prime Minister Shot Despite Strict Gun Laws
8 July 2022
Newsweek
The shooting of former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo has shocked his country, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world.
Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe was in a "severe condition" following the incident during a campaign speech on Friday.
With a population of 127 million, the annual death toll from guns in Japan is frequently less than the number who might die in a single mass shooting in the U.S. In 2018 there were only nine... (GunPolicy.org)
Rare Shooting in Japan Shocks Nation
8 July 2022
Bloomberg
The last time a current or former Japanese prime minister was shot and killed was 90 years ago. It's a measure of just how rare and shocking gun violence is in the country, where ownership of firearms is strictly controlled.
The blast that felled Shinzo Abe on Friday -- with a homemade shotgun, according to reports -- happened while he was campaigning on behalf of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Nara, a city east of Osaka. Abe was giving a speech in front of a... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan has Lowest Gun Violence in World Thanks to Strict Gun Control Laws
8 July 2022
Anadolu Agency
Although former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot twice at an election campaign event in the Nara region, statistics show that Japan has one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the world.
It is believed that Japan owes its strict gun laws largely to the US because, after World War II, Americans shaped the gun policy and forced a firearm ban legislation in the East Asian nation.
According to the Small Arms Survey -- a global organization that keeps tabs on arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Shinzo Abe Assassinated with Homemade Firearm
8 July 2022
Sydney Morning Herald
Shinzo Abe, a towering figure in Japanese and global politics, was assassinated on Friday, sending shockwaves around Japan and the world.
The former prime minister fought for his life in hospital but died later in the day. His wife of more than 30 years, Akie Abe, arrived by his side just before 5pm local time. Abe was pronounced dead at 5.03pm.
Japanese leader Fumio Kishida had said doctors "were doing everything" they could to save the 67-year-old but the Liberal... (GunPolicy.org)
Shinzo Abe's Assassination and Firearm Control in Japan
8 July 2022
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV)
In response to the tragic news of the fatal shooting of the ex-PM of Japan, Shinzo Abe, AOAV outlines a brief history of Japan's relationships to guns and its strict approach to gun control.
First it should be noted that there is a very low firearm homicide rate in Japan. In 2017, there were 14,532 homicides by firearm in America, but just 1 in Japan .[1]
In 2018 (the latest figures published by WHO), the total number of people killed by guns in Japan – including... (GunPolicy.org)
Public Health Response to Suicide In Japan Leads to Decrease
8 April 2019
Reuters
AKITA, Japan - Taeko Watanabe awoke one cold March night and found a trail of blood in the hallway, a bloody cleaver on her son Yuki's bed and no trace of him in the house. Then police discovered a suicide note in his bedroom.
"They found him in a canal by the temple and wrapped him in a blanket. After an autopsy, he came home in a coffin. I fell apart," she recalled, eyes welling up as she sat by a photo of Yuki and a Buddhist altar laden with flowers and Fuji... (GunPolicy.org)
150,000 Illicit Guns in Circulation in Japan
20 April 2018
News Post7
…In fact, it is estimated that 150,000 guns, hundreds of times more than the amount seized, are in illegal circulation. In recent years, the crackdown has become stricter and this figure is still decreasing. A long time ago, it was said that 200,000 guns were in circulation. Most of the owners are... (GunPolicy.org)
Oceania,Europe,Asia,Americas,Africa,Yemen,China,Israel,Russia,Brazil,United Kingdom,Germany,India,Canada,Austria,Australia,Mexico,United States,Japan,South Africa
How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries
2 March 2018
New York Times
Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. The process takes months in some countries. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.
United States
1) Pass an instant background check that considers criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status.
2) Buy a gun. Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and... (GunPolicy.org)
Putting Guns Away for Good: Can Japan eliminate firearms?
24 April 2017
Asia & the Pacific Policy Forum
A decline in private firearms ownership and no recognisable gun culture means that Japan is positioned to be the world's first country to reverse the gunpowder revolution, writes Aaron Karp.
Four-hundred years ago Japan eradicated virtually all firearms. Today the country may be on the cusp of an equally far-reaching, albeit far gentler, transformation.
Although Japan's private gun ownership rose during the 20th century, today's levels are not just small but rapidly... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Australia,New Zealand,Japan,Switzerland,France,Poland,Iraq
German Ammo Sales Up Tenfold, €4 Billion Arms Sales in 2016
25 October 2016
Mo4ch (US)
Germany's small arms ammunition sales have increased by 10 times in the first 6 months of 2016, while total arms sales have reached €4 billion over the same period and have set a new record, Deutsche-Presse Agentur (DPA) says, citing a government report.
The total value of the small arms ammo export contracts has risen from €27 million ($29.3 million) in the first half of 2015 to €283.8 million ($308 million) in the first six months of 2016, the reports says,... (GunPolicy.org)
Many Stringest Tests Required to Own a Firearm in Japan
31 August 2016
The Blaze (USA)
The right to "keep and bear arms" in America is expected to be a hot topic for both Republicans and Democrats leading up to the election, as the debate rages between those who see America as a great place to own a gun and those who believe we are a country with too many guns and seek to get rid of the Second Amendment.
But what about gun rights other countries?
Last weekend, Fareed Zakaria's "Global Public Square" on CNN spent an entire hour sharing "lessons" about... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's Tough Firearm Regulation Reduces Mass Gun Killings
26 July 2016
Reveal News (USA)
Early Tuesday morning, a man stabbed dozens of people at a residential care facility for people with developmental disabilities, according to NHK, Japan's national public broadcasting network.
The man claimed to be a former employee at the facility and admitted to carrying out the attack before turning himself in. Multiple outlets are reporting that sharp weapons were found in the suspect's bag and car.
At least 19 people are dead, and dozens more are wounded. If the... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang Wars in Japan Trigger Surge in Black Market Gun Prices
20 June 2016
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
A war between the nation's largest yakuza crime syndicate and a breakaway gang has apparently led to a spike in black market firearm prices, according to several sources close to organized crime groups.
Using language unique to gangs, a leader of one group affiliated with Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi said in early June: "I cannot feel safe unless I have 'a heavy one' with 'children' close by me. But the prices have increased by several times."
In yakuza lingo, "a heavy one"... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Crime Remains Almost Unknown in Japan
13 June 2016
Japan Times
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has vowed to tighten security to protect Japanese citizens both at home and abroad after a gunman killed scores at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. But exactly how at risk of a mass shooting is Japan?
Statistics show that Japan, known for its strict gun-control laws, is one of the safest countries in the world as far as gun violence is concerned.
According to GunPolicy.org, a website run by the University of Sydney, Japan... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Sweden,United Kingdom,Australia,Japan,Switzerland,Israel,South Africa
Americans Face Extreme Difficulty Exporting Their Guns
27 April 2016
Wall Street Journal, Blog
When American Tom Heberlein tried to import his firearms to Sweden, he got as far as his transfer in the U.K. before it started to become complicated. There, despite having the correct paperwork, a U.K. customs official said: "You can't have these guns."
And thus began Mr. Heberlein's global gun education.
Although Mr. Heberlein did, after a lot of negotiation, finally get his guns through U.K. customs and in to Sweden, the entire experience created a hassle he hadn't... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,United Kingdom,Japan,Australia
So, America, This Is How Other Countries Do Gun Control
14 March 2016
Guardian
Thirty people will be shot dead in America today. On average. It could be more. If it's less, then more will die tomorrow. Or the next day.
The United States's gun homicide rate is 25 times higher than other high-income countries, according to a recent study.
Americans are divided on whether the country's gun deaths could be reduced through tougher laws on gun ownership. Liberals argue that legal restrictions on gun ownership could save lives. Conservatives say that... (GunPolicy.org)
Only Six Gun-related Deaths in 2014 for Japan
16 September 2015
CNN
TOKYO - Last month, Japan's largest crime group, the Yamaguchi-gumi, split into two main factions, potentially creating a gang war that may ultimately involve all 21 designated crime groups in Japan.
The new group, which was formally created in early September, is calling themselves the Kobe Yamaguchi-gumi and is already setting up alliances with other organized crime groups. The National Police Agency says they have had an emergency meeting to discuss how to handle... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Man Arrested For Craft Firearms
3 September 2015
The Firearm Blog
A 60 year old man in Japan was recently arrested for building homemade guns of his own design. According to him it was his hobby for the last 40 years. He used scrap anvils as a source of hardened steel and crafted his own ammunition using toy caps and casted lead bullets.
[Photos in the original:]
- A double barreled muzzle-loading percussion lock. The barrels are rotated between shots.
- A submachine gun which is trying to decide whether its an AR or a... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Makes First Arrest of Owner of a 3-D Printed Gun
8 May 2014
Japan Daily Press
Japanese police raided the home of 27-year-old Yoshitomo Imura as he was suspected of possessing firearms made with a 3-D printer, what is said to be the first arrest of this nature in Japan. Imura, a college employee, was found in possession of five 3-D printed guns, two of which were reportedly able to fire lethal bullets, this according to a report by the national broadcaster NHK.
The police said that they recovered a 3-D printer from Imura's home in Kawasaki, near... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Parliament Approves Bill to Ratify Arms Trade Treaty
23 April 2014
RIA Novosti (Russia)
MOSCOW – Japan's upper house of parliament, the House of Councillors, unanimously approved Wednesday a bill providing for the country's accession to the UN Arms Trade Treaty, the NHK channel reported.
The Japanese government now expects a fast ratification of the treaty, although no specific date on its implementation has yet been announced.
The Arms Trade Treaty, adopted at the UN General Assembly last year, is the first international pact regulating commerce in... (GunPolicy.org)
Germany,Bahrain,South Korea,Japan,United Kingdom,Italy,United States
Local Gun Control Laws Make Overseas US Military Bases 'Safer'
9 April 2014
Stars and Stripes (USA)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Strict gun laws in foreign countries mean many in America's overseas military communities feel safer than they would at home, although they're divided over whether tougher rules would reduce gun violence in the U.S.
"For the most part, I feel safer over here because we're not allowed to bring guns," Sgt. Roseann Baena, a 26-year-old soldier assigned to Europe Regional Dental Command in Sembach, Germany, said Tuesday.
Her comment was typical... (GunPolicy.org)
Opinion: Don't Scrap Japanese Firearms Export Ban
3 March 2014
Japan Times, Editorial
The Abe administration plans to ditch the nation's long-standing three-point weapons-export ban by writing a new three-point principle governing the export of weapons. The new policy would turn Japan into a weapons-exporting country. A departure from Japan's traditional security posture characterized by self-restraint, such a move would damage the international trust and reputation Japan has earned through its strict restriction on weapons exports. Ultimately this step... (GunPolicy.org)
China,Australia,United Kingdom,United States,Japan,Russia
Japan Set to Ratify Arms Trade Treaty Despite Proposal to Relax Gun Exports
16 February 2014
Japan Times
A bill to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty, the first international pact to regulating trade in conventional arms, is scheduled to be submitted to the Diet by the end of this month, government sources said.
The measure, coming less than a year after Japan signed the treaty adopted at the U.N. General Assembly last April, underscores Tokyo's eagerness to nudge others to join the framework, the sources said Saturday.
However, the move appears incongruous with the stance of... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Govt Eyes Lower Age Limit on Air Guns
4 January 2014
Japan News
The government is likely to seek lower age restrictions on using air guns, to enable athletes to begin training earlier for shooting events at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, sources said.
A revision of the Firearm and Sword Control Law that would lower the age limit from the current 14 years old to about 10 years old is being considered, the sources said. The plan also includes such safety considerations as restrictions on the number of athletes... (GunPolicy.org)
Asian Tourists Revel in Hawaii's Sun, Surf, Glocks, AK-47s – NY Times
1 January 2014
New York Times
HONOLULU — Kenji and Hiromasa Ozawa, a father and son vacationing on the island of Oahu, spent Christmas morning hiking up Diamond Head, a volcanic cone here with sweeping views of Waikiki Beach.
Their next stop: The Royal Hawaiian Shooting Club — an indoor shooting range in an upscale shopping center just above Cartier and Hermès stores — where they fired off several dozen rounds between them.
"We love shooting guns, I love shooting guns," said Kenji Ozawa,... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Defence Officials Fear Assault Rifle Stolen in 'Unprecedented' Case
26 December 2013
Japan News / Yomiuri Shimbun
The Ground Self-Defense Force has been unable to find an assault rifle that went missing at the force's Higashi Fuji Maneuvers Area in Shizuoka Prefecture in October, it has been learned.
As the force was unable to find the Howa Type 89 assault rifle after a two-month intensive search, it has concluded that the rifle was taken by somebody. The force's police unit has began an investigation on suspicion of theft.
The rifle, which was issued to a GSDF member, was not... (GunPolicy.org)
Second Shooting in Two Days in Japan
20 December 2013
Japan Today
TOKYO — Police said the head of a fishermen's union was shot dead Friday, the second fatal shooting in as many days in a nation unaccustomed to gun crime.
Tadayoshi Ueno, 70, was found lying in the street in the southern city of Kitakyushu after residents nearby heard what was believed to be the sound of gunfire.
Local police said he was confirmed dead at hospital, with reports suggesting he had been shot multiple times.
Gun crime is rare in Japan, and incidents... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Businessman Gunned Down on Street
19 December 2013
Xinhua
OSAKA - Local police in the western Japanese prefecture of Kyoto has launched a murder investigation following Thursday morning's deadly shooting of the head of Japan's major foodservice company running restaurant chains in Japan and China, local media reported.
The shooting incident occurred at around at around 7:00 a.m. local time, when Takayuki Ohigashi, 72, who was serving as President and Representative Director in Ohosho Food Service Corp., was gunned down by an... (GunPolicy.org)
Stiffer Penalties for Firearms Smuggling Sought in Philippines
13 December 2013
Philippine Star
MANILA - A lawmaker has filed a measure that would impose stiffer penalties for firearms smuggling.
Under House Bill 2696 or the proposed "Anti-Firearms Smuggling Act of 2013," smugglers of firearms will face 12 to 20 years or even life imprisonment and fines of one to five million pesos.
"Smuggling of firearms is a dangerous but profitable criminal enterprise. It not only threatens public safety and national security but also endangers and oftentimes, results in loss... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Father Arrested After Son Takes Handgun to School
26 November 2013
Japan Today
FUKUOKA — Police have arrested the father of a student after the boy brought a handgun to school in Shime, Fukuoka Prefecture.
According to police, the boy's father, Takaki Wakisaka, a 41-year-old restaurant manager, was questioned about firing several live-ammunition shots from a revolver in a storehouse near his home in the middle of September this year, Fuji TV reported.
After bringing the same gun to school on Nov 20, his son had the firearm confiscated by a... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Woman Accidentally Shot by Hunter, Mistaken for Wild Animal
21 November 2013
Japan Today / Yomuiri Online
TOKYO — An 84-year-old woman in the town of Takachiho, Miyazaki Prefecture, was accidentally shot by a man who was hunting in the area, Yomiuri Online reports.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:50 on Tuesday morning in a woodland area close to the border between Miyazaki Prefecture and neighboring Kumamoto. The wounded woman, believed to be making her way home after buying groceries, was passing through the area in which the 66-year-old farmer was hunting... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Man Shot in the Head in Hunting Accident
4 November 2013
Japan Today
SHIZUOKA — A man was shot in a hunting accident in Shizuoka on Sunday. Police said the man was shot while harvesting wild mountain plants in the woods where another man was hunting deer.
TV Asahi reported that the incident took place at around 10:30 a.m. in Nagaizumi-cho. A 73-year-old member of a local hunting club shot off a single round into the woods expecting to hit a deer. Instead, his shot grazed the head of a 63-year-old man, 30 meters away, knocking him... (GunPolicy.org)
South Africa,United Kingdom,Japan,United States
Study: High Gun Ownership Doesn't Correlate to Low Crime Rate
6 October 2013
United Press International
NEW YORK - Using frequency of crime as an indicator of a citizenry's safety, U.S. researchers found more gun owners doesn't translate into less crime in developed nations.
Dr. Sripal Bangalore of New York University's Langone Medical Center and Dr. Franz H. Messerli of St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, examined data for 27 developed countries.
The gun ownership data were obtained from the Small Arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan,United Kingdom,South Africa,United States
High Gun Ownership Makes Countries Less Safe, US Study Finds
18 September 2013
Guardian (UK)
Guns do not make a nation safer, say US doctors who have compared the rate of firearms-related deaths in countries where many people own guns with the death rate in countries where gun ownership is rare.
Their findings, published Wednesday in the prestigious American Journal of Medicine, debunk the historic belief among many people in the United States that guns make a country safer, they say. On the contrary, the US, with the most guns per head in the world, has the... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Netherlands,Switzerland,Finland,South Africa,England & Wales,Japan,United States
Around the World, Gun Ownership and Firearms Deaths Go Together
18 September 2013
National Public Radio (USA), Blog
A study on guns, violence and mental health, long scheduled to be published this week, finds that gun ownership is a bigger factor than mental illness when it comes to firearms deaths. But the data suggest that both play roles.
Earlier research has found that places with high rates of gun ownership have more firearms deaths, but critics of those findings say that it could be that people living in dangerous places are apt to buy firearms to protect themselves.
And the... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Police Seize Guns, Dynamite From Local Gangster
13 September 2013
Xinhua
OSAKA - Local police in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, have seized at least seven pistols and 21 sticks of dynamite from a storage room in an apartment complex rented out by a gang based in the area, local press reported on Friday.
A criminal investigation team dispatched by the prefectural police found the stockpile of guns and explosives in one of the 32 storage rooms which are privately rented out in Ikuno Ward, southern Osaka City.
This was the result of a... (GunPolicy.org)
86 Modified Replica Guns Seized from Japanese Businessman
14 May 2013
Japan Daily Press
The chairman of a food company in Kumamoto was arrested by police after it was discovered he was hiding 86 modified guns in his possession. 73 year old Motoo Kira was arrested on Monday for concealing these guns, as well as 62 bullets, in a storage facility.
Investigators believe that the guns were modified by Kira using his own tools. After testing the weapons, the authorities conclude that all of these guns were lethal. The police were also able to seize a handmade... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Turn 'Gun Ho' in Guam but Prefer Own Gun Culture
17 February 2013
Japan Times
TAMUNING, Guam – Their well-equipped arsenals offer everything from tiny revolvers for ladies to Berettas, Glocks, semiautomatic pistols and M16 military assault rifles. If kids can see over the counter, they're welcome too.
Forget the white sandy beaches, coral reefs and laid-back island culture. For many Japanese tourists, the biggest thrill on Guam is the chance to shoot a gun at one of its ubiquitous ranges, dozens of which are tucked between upscale shopping... (GunPolicy.org)
Fact-Check: Dispelling Pro-Gun Myths in America
31 January 2013
Mother Jones (USA)
By cutting off federal funding for research and stymieing data collection and sharing, the National Rifle Association has tried to do to the study of gun violence what climate deniers have done to the science of global warming. No wonder: When it comes to hard numbers, some of the gun lobby's favorite arguments are full of holes.
Myth #1: They're coming for your guns.
Fact-check: No one knows the exact number of guns in America, but it's clear there's no practical way... (GunPolicy.org)
Even Gangsters Live in Fear of Japan's Gun Laws
6 January 2013
Japan Times
It's almost impossible to get to a gun in Japan, and selling one or owning one is a serious crime. Fire the gun? Possibly life imprisonment. Gun-control laws are taken so seriously that police will pursue a violator all the way to the grave — and maybe beyond.
The rationale for this is simple: "Of course, guns don't kill people; people kill people — guns just make it a lot easier to kill a lot of people. That's why Japan bans them and that's why my job was catching... (GunPolicy.org)
Why Japan Is So Safe from Guns - Opinion
19 December 2012
New York Daily News, Opinion
Everyone wants to live in a country that never has any mass shootings.
The Japanese do. So, what's their secret?
It's not hard to figure out: Japan stringently suppresses gun ownership. Even compared to the United Kingdom, whose gun controls are the most repressive of any major country in Western Europe, Japan is extreme. No rifles. No handguns. Shotguns and air guns are allowed only under a licensing system that is designed to discourage everyone but the most highly... (GunPolicy.org)
Scotland,United States,United Kingdom,Australia,Japan
Several Countries Curbed Guns, Saw Public Safety Improve [ES]
18 December 2012
BBC News
[Translated summary: Three industrialised nations - Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom have dramatically reduced gun deaths after applying strict firearm laws.]
Tres naciones industrializadas -Japón, Australia y Escocia- han logrado reducir dramáticamente las muertes por armas de fuego tras aplicar estrictas leyes que regulan el porte y comercio de armas que podría servir de modelo en Estados Unidos cuando ese pueblo trata de reponerse de la matanza de niños y... (GunPolicy.org)
Canada,Japan,Switzerland,Germany,Spain,United Kingdom,Netherlands,Denmark,European Union,France
Firearms Worldwide: Really Different Laws Across Countries [FR]
18 December 2012
JOL Press (Paris)
[Translated summary: France: follows European policies - Denmark and Netherlands: total ban - United Kingdom: almost all firearms are prohibited - Switzerland: a more liberal legislation - the Japanese model: no firearm at all - Canada: the stormy debate on the right to carry firearms]
La récente tuerie de Newton a relancé une fois de plus le débat sur le port d'armes aux États-Unis. Mais quelle est la réglementation dans d'autres pays du monde ? Petit tour... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan,Scotland,Australia,United States
In Other Countries than the US, Laws Are Strict and Work
17 December 2012
New York Times, Editorial
Like other shootings before it, the Newtown, Conn., tragedy has reawakened America to its national fixation with firearms. No country in the world has more guns per capita, with some 300 million civilian firearms now in circulation, or nearly one for every adult.
Experts from the Harvard School of Public Health, using data from 26 developed countries, have shown that wherever there are more firearms, there are more homicides. In the case of the United States,... (GunPolicy.org)
Strong Views on Japan Exports, US Role in Global Gun Trade
2 September 2012
Japan Times, Editorial
The international trade in small arms more than doubled since 2006, growing into a stunning $8.5 billion a year industry. The latest Small Arms Survey by an independent research group in Geneva found that large-scale government spending and increased purchases by American civilians, in addition to steady sales to developing countries, contributed to the upsurge.
The reported increase can also be attributed to better information and more thorough research. The result,... (GunPolicy.org)
Tunisia,Yemen,United States,Japan
Land Without Guns: How Japan Has Virtually Eliminated Firearm Deaths
23 July 2012
Atlantic (USA)
I've heard it said that, if you take a walk around Waikiki, it's only a matter of time until someone hands you a flyer of scantily clad women clutching handguns, overlaid with English and maybe Japanese text advertising one of the many local shooting ranges. The city's largest, the Royal Hawaiian Shooting Club, advertises instructors fluent in Japanese, which is also the default language of its website. For years, this peculiar Hawaiian industry has explicitly targeted... (GunPolicy.org)
Timor-Leste,Thailand,Sri Lanka,Myanmar,Indonesia,South Asia,South East Asia,Israel,Iran,Cuba,United States,Japan,China,Brunei,Philippines,Pakistan,India,Asia
UN Urges Asian Nations to Help Curb Global Trade in Illegal Guns
6 March 2012
Jakarta Post
The United Nations is urging all nations in the Asia region to implement concrete solutions to stop illegal trading in small arms and light weapons.
"Over the past decades, trade has made this region grow so phenomenally. If you are a region where international trade is what makes you tick, you better also make sure that you are seen as doing trade in the right way," UN disarmament affairs official Daniel Prins told reporters on the sidelines of opening the Asian... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Oppose Gun Lobby Push to Slacken Law, Reduce Gun Limits in Japan
7 December 2011
Japan Today
TOKYO — Farmers in rural areas have been reporting increasing damage to their crops by wild boar, deer and other animals. To make firearms more accessible, a bill that would loosen the currently tight restrictions on hunting rifles has been proposed in the Diet. But, the Sankei Shimbun (Dec 4) reports, the police remain adamantly opposed to changes in the law.
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in 2009, crop damage from... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan,United States,Philippines
Philippines Needs Stricter Gun Control Laws - Opinion
11 October 2011
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Opinion
Joke only: A Llama is a handgun.
But a Llamas is an AK-47.
* * *
Because of the AK-47 found in the vehicle of Presidential Political Adviser Ronald Llamas when it figured in an accident on Edsa (Llamas was away in Switzerland), the talk at the Kapihan sa Manila at the Diamond Hotel last Monday centered on guns in the hands of civilians.
And the guests were all well qualified to talk about guns: brand-new PNP chief, Director General Nicanor Bartolome, Undersecretary... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan,Asia,United States,Philippines
Stricter Gun Laws Needed to Stop the Massacre in Philippines
22 September 2011
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Opinion
The shooting by a 13-year-old of his 17-year-old boyfriend in an SM mall in Pampanga is just another proof that we have very liberal gun laws and that we should have stricter gun laws to curb crime, as the Gunless Society keeps insisting. How can such a young boy have access to a handgun, carry it past the security guards of the mall and then shoot his boyfriend if we had adequate gun laws?
The same with the abandoned wife who shot her estranged husband in another SM... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Switzerland,Russia,Norway,Mexico,Japan,Italy,Germany,Austria,Czech Republic,India,China,Canada,Brazil,Australia,United States
How Gun Control Laws Vary in 16 Countries Around the World
10 January 2011
Guardian (UK)
Australia
Ownership is strictly prohibited unless there are "genuine reasons" such as licensed sport, animal control or employment requirements.
Brazil
If you are over 25 and have registered a weapon, you are free to keep it indoors. The country has the second-highest gun-related death rate after the US.
Canada
Significantly stricter than the neighbouring US. To acquire a licence, applicants must undertake a safety course, pass a criminal records check and be... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Yemen,Finland,Switzerland,United Kingdom,Japan,Pakistan,Saudi Arabia
Civilians Own 74% of All Guns Globally, Firearm Laws Differ Greatly
15 December 2010
Times of India
The 'Gun Debate' has engaged many parts of the world for decades and both public opinion and lawmakers in different countries differ considerably on this question. Interestingly, 74% of all firearms globally are owned by civilians.
The right to own a firearm is a major issue in US politics and many Americans consider the possession of firearms a time-honoured custom. Strong gun-supporting lobbies like the National Rifle Association spend millions of dollars to fight... (GunPolicy.org)
Tokyo Gun Stores Go On Strike to Protest Stricter Firearm Ownership Laws
4 December 2010
Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
An organization of gun stores in Tokyo went on a two-day strike on Dec. 4 at all of its 18 member stores to protest stricter controls on owning hunting guns that it says have devastated sales.
On the morning of Dec. 4, the 18 stores posted notices at their storefronts reading "On Strike!" The organization says that sales are over 50 percent down at all stores.
"We apologize to our customers, but we judged that this was something we had to do," said a director of the... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Relax Post-war Ban on Arms Exports, Already Major Gun Supplier
21 April 2010
Global Times (China)
Tokyo wants to relax its self-imposed ban on arms exports, a Financial Times report published Monday quoted a Japanese defense official as saying.
Akihisa Nagashima, a parliamentary vice minister of defense, told the Financial Times that the move reflected concern about the competitiveness of the country's defense industry and the high prices its military must pay for arms that are often less than cutting edge.
Tokyo in 1967 announced the Three Principles on Arms... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Kills 2, Himself, in Rare Japanese Bar Shooting
12 January 2010
Associated Press
TOKYO,Japan - A man opened fire at a bar in western Japan on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding one seriously before taking his own life.
Guns are strictly controlled in Japan, and shootings are rare. When such attacks do occur, they are often linked to gangsters known as yakuza.
Police in Habikino City in Osaka prefecture were investigating the gunman's motive, police official Mitsuyuki Oda said. The Kyodo News agency said the gunman was a city employee and... (GunPolicy.org)
Yakuza Gunman Dead, Three Injured in Rare Japanese Shooting
6 November 2009
BBC News
A gunman in Japan has taken his own life after wounding three people in Yokohama, outside Tokyo, police said.
The gunman had taken refuge in a building in a residential area which the police surrounded.
A police spokesman said one of the injured men was in a critical condition and the other two were lightly wounded.
Japanese media reported the violence appeared to be gang related. Shootings are rare in Japan, where there are strict gun control laws.
Police named... (GunPolicy.org)
Host Holds Unloaded Gun for 6secs on Japan TV Show, Police Pounce
2 July 2009
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / International Herald Tribune
OTSU, Shiga Prefecture — Given this nation's strict gun control law, were police overreacting when they swooped on a TV broadcaster that had allowed a celebrity to handle a hunting rifle during a live broadcast?
The Shiga prefectural police insist they were perfectly within their rights, but TV networks are outraged, citing the fact the weapon was not loaded.
The incident stems from a show aired Jan. 17 by Biwako Broadcasting Co. Almost four months later, police... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / International Herald Tribune
Police Seize 800 'Lethal' Soft Air Guns from Japanese Airgun Maker
11 November 2008
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan) / AP
The Metropolitan Police Department suspects that a Tokyo-based company's airsoft gun put on sale in July is powerful enough to injure or kill without any modifications to the body, sources familiar with the case have said.
It is rare for police to recognize an unconverted airsoft gun as a lethal weapon.
The MPD seized 800 units of the type of gun during an inspection of the manufacturer on suspicion of violating the Firearms and Swords Control Law.
The MPD plans... (GunPolicy.org)
Yakuza Gangster Sentenced to Death for Shooting Mayor of Nagasaki
26 May 2008
Associated Press
TOKYO — A court in Japan convicted an alleged gangster and sentenced him to death Monday for the fatal shooting of a popular mayor in a crime that stunned a nation that takes great pride in its rigid gun-control laws, media reports said.
Tetsuya Shiroo, 60, who police say is a gang boss, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death Monday in Nagasaki District Court, according to Kyodo News and NHK TV. Court official Tomoya Nagata refused to confirm the ruling.... (GunPolicy.org)
Doctor Faces Japanese Court Over 18 Guns, Home Made Ammunition
22 May 2008
Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
TSU — A doctor accused of illegally possessing guns has been slapped with a new charge of manufacturing bullets without permission, law enforcers said.
Mie Prefectural Police have sent to the Tsu District Public Prosecutors Office additional papers accusing Kenji Abo, 58, a doctor from Tsu, of violating the Ordnance Manufacturing Law.
"I wanted to make (bullets) by myself," Abo was quoted as telling police as he admitted to the charges.
Abo had earlier been... (GunPolicy.org)
Stalkers, Spouse Abusers, Bankrupts, Suicidal to Lose Their Guns in Japan
4 April 2008
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / IHT
The National Police Agency plans to overhaul the gun control law for the first time in 28 years to keep firearms from stalkers, spouse abusers, bankrupt people and those with suicidal tendencies, sources said Thursday.
The changes will also include a clause requiring a psychiatric check of applicants for gun permits "if necessary."
The agency plans to submit a bill to revise the Firearms and Sword Control Law in the next Diet session, according to the sources.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan: Police Could Seize Hunting Rifles for Family Violence, Stalking, Debt
3 April 2008
Mainichi Daily News
The National Police Agency (NPA) is seeking a legal ban on those involved in stalking incidents or domestic violence from possessing hunting guns, agency officials said.
The NPA is expected to submit a bill during the next Diet session to revise the Firearms and Swords Control Law to include involvement in stalking incidents and domestic violence as grounds for disqualification for possessing hunting guns.
Under the current law, only those convicted of serious... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Worry as More Licensed Guns Used in Murder, Family Violence
27 February 2008
BBC News
TOKYO — Japan is not a country you associate with serious crime.
It has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, but figures published recently suggest the number of shootings here rose by a quarter last year, the first rise in five years.
Gangsters were blamed for two-thirds of the attacks but many Japanese are worried that, increasingly, licensed guns are being used for murder too.
In 2006 just two people were killed in gun attacks in Japan. Last year the... (GunPolicy.org)
2,885 Japanese Gun Owners Surrender 4,467 Weapons After One Rampage
8 February 2008
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
Gun owners are turning in their licenses for thousands of weapons following public outrage over a shooting incident at a sports club in Nagasaki Prefecture last December that left two people dead, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
The NPA said a total of 2,885 gun owners have opted to return their licenses for 4,467 weapons and have either sold or disposed of the guns.
Of the total, 90 gun owners who had come to the attention of the police for instances of... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Police Visit 65,000 Gun Owners, Declare 90 Unfit to Own Firearms
8 February 2008
Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
Ninety gun owners were ordered to return their gun licenses and 145 firearms as of Jan. 31, after being judged unfit to possess them under police inspections conducted in the wake of a shooting rampage in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, in December, it has been learned.
The inspections were conducted nationwide by prefectural police headquarters on people who possess hunting guns — shotguns and rifles — and air guns.
The number of people ordered to turn in licenses... (GunPolicy.org)
66 Shootings, Mainly Non-fatal, Across Japan in 2007 - Up from 53 in 2006
7 February 2008
Reuters
TOKYO — The number of shootings in Japan rose in 2007 for the first time in six years, police said on Thursday, in a review of a year that included the assassination of a city mayor and gun use involving rival gangsters.
Shootings rose to 66 compared with a record low of 53 in 2006, the National Police Agency said in a report. The figure was up for the first time since 2001.
"There was an increase in confrontations between gangster organisations and a series of... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Police Visit, Check 175,000 Gun Owners to Lessen Massacre Risk
30 January 2008
Bloomberg (USA)
TOKYO — Japan's National Police Agency ordered checks on all registered firearms after two people were shot to death at a gym in southern Japan in December, the Asahi newspaper reported.
Police departments plan to complete checks by the end of March, the newspaper reported, without saying who provided the information. Statistics show about 175,000 people in Japan had permits to own about 340,000 firearms as of 2006, the newspaper said.
Gun owners in Japan must... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's National Police Urge Gun Owners to Store Weapons with Dealers
23 December 2007
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
Responding to the shooting rampage at a sports club in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Dec. 14, the National Police Agency told the Metropolitan Police Department and prefectural police headquarters Friday to urge owners of hunting guns and air rifles to deposit their guns at gun dealers instead of storing them at their homes.
According to the NPA, about 175,000 people were licensed to own about 339,000 shotguns and rifles for hunting and air rifles for target... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese PM Orders Gun Control Audit: All Gun Owners to Be Re-assessed
22 December 2007
Japan Today / Kyodo
TOKYO — Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Friday ordered ministers in his cabinet to formulate measures to reinforce the nation's gun controls following the fatal shooting rampage on Dec. 14 in Nagasaki Prefecture, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.
Following Fukuda's order made during a ministerial meeting on fighting crime, National Public Safety Commission Chairman Shinya Izumi said he plans to conduct overall inspections on the management of 300,000... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Puts Gun Law, Ownership, Proliferation Under Scrutiny in Japan
20 December 2007
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
With nearly 340,000 guns legally circulating in Japan, Friday's shooting in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, has inevitably raised questions about gun control.
The case also drove home to many that incidents involving firearms, such as those often reported in "gun societies" like the United States, can occur in Japan.
Only a tiny fraction of applications to own a gun are rejected, and once a permit is given, it is rarely revoked. Renewal of a permit is almost always... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's PM Says Gun Control Just a Part of Comprehensive Violence Plan
18 December 2007
Kyodo News (Japan)
TOKYO — Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Monday emphasized the importance of considering ways to secure public safety in a comprehensive manner following the fatal shooting rampage last week in Nagasaki Prefecture.
"We must consider carefully the issues such as the criteria for use of guns and their management, but if we were to ask whether just controlling guns would make things perfect, the incident at Ikeda elementary comes to mind," Fukuda told reporters.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Review Gun Control Laws After Gym Shooting, Says Prime Minister
17 December 2007
Agence France Presse
TOKYO — Japan will review its gun control laws following last week's deadly shooting at a sports club in western Japan, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said Monday.
A man opened fire Friday night at a private gym in Sasebo, western Japan, killing two people and injuring six.
"No matter what the reason is, we should not let such a crime happen at any cost," Fukuda told reporters.
"There must be problems with usage standards or ways to control (guns)," Fukuda told... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Killer Was Licensed Gun Owner: Tougher Gun Laws Called for
17 December 2007
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
Friday's shooting rampage in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, was just the latest tragedy involving a legally owned gun. The incident comes after little progress has been made in toughening up the rules governing eligibility for gun ownership. The Sasebo shooting has also sparked questions about why the suspect had been allowed to own guns even after neighbors had raised alarm about his odd behavior.
Blame lies partly with a fault in the gun control system: Gun permits... (GunPolicy.org)
Licensed Gun Owner Kills 2, Shoots Himself at Japanese Sports Club
16 December 2007
Agence France Presse
TOKYO — Japanese media called for tighter gun-control laws on Sunday following a deadly shooting at a sports club, which sent shockwaves through the country in which gun crimes are emerging.
"We feel fear that (Japan) has turned out to be a gun society like the United States," the Yomiuri Shimbun said in an editorial. "A gun was pointed at random at the ordinary public. It was an unprecedented crime in Japan."
"It is necessary to tighten permission standards such... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Will Jail Armed Gangsters, Owners of Multiple Guns for Up to 15yrs
26 November 2007
Reuters
TOKYO — Japan's parliament on Monday passed legislation strengthening gun control following a spate of shootings by gangsters, including the assassination of a city mayor in April and the recent murder of a hospital patient in a case of mistaken identity.
The revision of the firearms control law is the first since 1995, and imposes heavier punishments for gun crimes committed by members of organised crime gangs.
After the new law takes effect, which is expected by... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Crime Penalties Leap in Japan: 10yrs for Possession, 15yrs for Firing
17 October 2007
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
The government approved a bill Tuesday to revise the Firearms and Swords Control Law and stiffen penalties that will now include a maximum 30 million yen fine on a person who shoots a gun on behalf of organized crime.
The revision of the law, which is to be toughened for the first time since 1995, aims to make members of crime syndicates reconsider whether crime pays with the increased fines.
The bill, which was approved at a Cabinet meeting, is to be submitted to... (GunPolicy.org)
Stringent Gun Control Penalties Follow High-Profile Yakuza Crimes in Japan
17 October 2007
All Headline News (USA)
TOKYO — Crime busters want to hit the yakuza crime syndicate with a heavy 30 million yen ($256,695) fine added to prison sentences for gun use, possession and manufacturing - three times what offenders now pay.
It will be the most far-reaching since illegal shooting was added to the Swords and Firearms Control Law 12 years ago and follows high profile crimes across Japan this year. On Sunday, a former yakuza adviser was shot dead in downtown Tokyo, police said.... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Hikes Gun Penalties: 15yrs for Illegal Possession, 5yrs to Life if Fired
16 October 2007
Xinhua
TOKYO — Japan plans to revise its law to impose tougher punishment on possessing a gun or illegally firing guns, Kyodo News said Tuesday.
The government adopted a bill on Tuesday to make the changes such as lifting the maximum sentence for having a gun from 10 years to 15 years, and the minimum sentence of illegally firing a gun from three to five years.
The bill, if passed by the parliament, would be the first revision to Japan's firearms control law since 1995.... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Police Charge Dead Gun Collector Over Submachine Gun, Pistol
5 September 2007
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
Police will file papers Wednesday with prosecutors against a deceased man from whose house in Yokohama they seized a submachine gun, a pistol and 179 rounds of ammunition in June.
The man, 52, died of an unnamed disease at his home in Isogo Ward, on May 28, and his sister, 55, and nephew, 26, found a 9mm automatic pistol and 159 rounds of 9mm ammunition inside a desk in a study on the first floor on June 10.
The police searched the house on June 14 after being... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Government Plans Even Tougher Gun Control Measures
26 June 2007
Yomiuri Shimbun / AP
A government study group announced a raft of emergency measures Monday to tighten control on firearms, such as stiffening penalties for people who violate the Firearms and Swords Control Law and establishing a seaborne trade regulatory center at the customs authority.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered relevant government offices to tighten gun control in May, in light of a number of incidents such as the fatal shooting of Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito in April.
The group... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Discusses New Laws, Tighter Border Control to Curb Gun Running
26 June 2007
Japan Times / Kyodo
A government project team completed Monday a package of proposals to tighten firearms restrictions in the wake of the April assassination of Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito and the gunning down of a riot police officer in Aichi Prefecture in May.
The measures include stiffening the penalties under the gun control law and boosting surveillance and other efforts against weapons smuggling. To put them into effect, the government hopes to submit a bill to the Diet in the fall and... (GunPolicy.org)
Philippine Police Crack Taiwan/Japan Yakuza Gun Trafficking Ring
5 June 2007
Central News Agency / eTaiwanNews.com
Police in the Philippines have arrested Yamaguchi-gumi Akire Nemoto, believed to be the right hand man to leader Yasuo Takagi. He was arrested in Manila for arms smuggling, seizing weapons including a U.S.-made KG99 assault rifle, two mini pistols and numerous rounds of ammunition.
Police also discovered that members of the Bamboo Union flew to Manila from Taiwan to meet with Nemoto to discuss deals involving drugs, firearms smuggling and cross-border money... (GunPolicy.org)
Despite Tight Gun Control, Gun Crime Headlines Mar Japan's Safe Image
5 June 2007
Japan Times
Japan, whose strict gun controls have long helped its image as the safest industrialized nation, has recently seen its reputation slip in the wake of headline-making shootings.
Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Ito was gunned down by a yakuza during his re-election campaign on April 17; a mobster holed himself up April 20 in an apartment in Machida, western Tokyo, after fatally shooting a fellow yakuza; a former gangster in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, shot and wounded his two... (GunPolicy.org)
With Only 19 Gun Homicides in 2005, Japan Holds the Line on Gun Violence
3 May 2007
Japan Times
On the morning of April 17, I received an apprehensive telephone call from a Japanese friend, a former employee of a foreign TV news bureau here.
Initial bulletins from Blacksburg, Virginia, were reporting that the shooter at Virginia Tech appeared to be a young Asian male. "Do you think he could be Japanese?" she asked.
I unhesitatingly ruled this out. First of all, I told her, the percentages were completely against it. When it comes to gun-related crimes abroad,... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,United Kingdom,Canada,Japan,Germany,Australia,United Nations
Shooting Massacres Often Bring Tough Gun Controls Around the World
30 April 2007
Associated Press
After a loner armed with assault weapons turned a scenic resort into a mass of mangled bodies and thrashing injured in 1996, Australia took quick and decisive action. Twelve days later, the government pushed through a tough ban on semiautomatic rifles.
Australia, which had been bloodied by 13 mass shootings in the 15 years that preceded the slaughter in Port Arthur, Tasmania, hasn't seen one since.
Gun control proponents say the Australian experience, and more modest... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Tightens Gun Control Guidelines to Prevent Illegal Firearm Imports
25 April 2007
Associated Press
TOKYO — Japan adopted stricter gun control guidelines today following a spate of gangster shootings that rattled a nation renowned for its crime-free streets, a government official said.
The measures are intended to reduce the smuggling of guns into Japan by organized crime groups and focus on getting rid of guns already in circulation, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hakubun Shimomura said.
"Most of the guns that are confiscated in Japan are foreign guns," Shimomura... (GunPolicy.org)
Former Legionnaire and Wife Held in Japan on Gun Running Charges
24 April 2007
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
A former Japanese member of the French Foreign Legion and his wife were arrested on suspicion of possessing firearms that were likely smuggled into the country, police said Monday.
Three others, including a company president in Kanagawa Prefecture, were arrested for allegedly buying and possessing the weapons.
Police said they have also obtained an arrest warrant for another man suspected of buying a handgun from the former soldier, they said.
Eleven handguns,... (GunPolicy.org)
Illegal Guns Flourish in Japan, Police Befuddled by Gang Shootings
23 April 2007
Asahi Shimbun (Japan) / IHT
Two fatal street shootings by gangsters within a week — one in Nagasaki and the other in the Tokyo area — have shattered the illusion that Japan is a country largely free of gun-related crime.
One estimate says there are 50,000 illegal guns in Japan.
The problem, police say, is that it is getting harder to know where to find the weapons.
Almost all are believed to be in the possession of crime syndicates, which have smuggled them from abroad in violation of... (GunPolicy.org)
Mobster Shot Nagasaki's Mayor, But Deaths by Gunshot Still Rare in Japan
20 April 2007
Associated Press
When Nagasaki's mayor was gunned down, it was not much of a surprise that a gangster was arrested. In a country where regular citizens face strict gun laws, the mob does most of the shooting.
Itcho Ito, 61, died early Wednesday after being shot twice in the back Tuesday evening. Tetsuya Shiroo, a senior member of the top underworld syndicate, Yamaguchi-gumi, was captured at the scene and owned up to the assassination, police said.
"This murder, which took place in the... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Eyes Tighter Gun Control Rules After Yakuza Shootings
20 April 2007
Associated Press
TOKYO — Japan's government said Friday that it will consider tightening gun-control rules after the murder of Nagasaki's mayor, as a new gun death rattled the country.
A man was shot dead outside a shop in suburban Tokyo, just three days after the mayor was gunned down in Nagasaki in a killing that has stunned a nation priding itself on its safety record.
Underworld gangs are linked to most gun violence here, including the death of mayor Iccho Ito, who was attacked... (GunPolicy.org)
Nagasaki Mayor's Slaying Highlights Japan's Unique Gun Culture
19 April 2007
Associated Press
TOKYO — When Nagasaki's mayor was fatally shot in southern Japan, it wasn't much of a surprise that a gangster was arrested as the suspect. In a country where regular citizens face strict gun laws, the mob does most of the shooting.
Iccho Ito, 61, was shot twice in the back Tuesday evening and died early Wednesday. Tetsuya Shiroo, a senior member of Japan's largest crime syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi, was captured at the scene and admitted to the attack, police... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Meet to Combat Illegal Gun Trafficking from Philippines to Japan
12 March 2007
Manila Standard
Eight police generals will leave for Japan today for a four-day meeting on gun control in Tokyo in the wake of the Japanese' growing concerns over rising gun smuggling cases in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Philippine National Police and the Japan Police will also discuss initiatives on crime scene investigations and compare notes on new strategies, techniques and equipment in dealing with criminals.
Those given authority to attend the Japan conference were the... (GunPolicy.org)
Crime Boss Arrested in Philippine-Japan Yakuza Gun Running Probe
22 August 2006
Japan Times / AP / Kyodo
Tokyo police on Monday arrested a crime boss whose gang allegedly spearheaded an operation to smuggle guns and explosives from the Philippines into Japan.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Tadashi Matsuda, 43, was arrested on suspicion of violating firearms control laws.
Matsuda's gang — part of the Tokyo-based Inagawa-kai, Japan's third-largest crime syndicate — has been under investigation for allegedly smuggling at least 11 handguns and 220 bullets from... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Says Curbs on Gun Transfers Should Be UN Small Arms Priority
27 June 2006
Kyodo
Japan believes the importance of transfer controls on small arms should be stressed in the final documents of the small arms conference review being held at U.N. headquarters, Japan's Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Shintaro Ito said Monday in New York.
Speaking at the opening of the two-week U.N. conference to review progress in global curbs on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, Ito outlined Japan's progress since the 2001 Program of... (GunPolicy.org)
UN Confab on Small Arms, Gun Trade Opens in New York
26 June 2006
Kyodo
A U.N. conference to review progress in global curbs on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons opened Monday at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Designed to review progress in implementing the 2001 Program of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the meeting is expected to produce a political document setting new goals at its close on July 7.
The nonbinding program, adopted unanimously five years ago, commits countries to a variety of measures to cut back... (GunPolicy.org)
Global Campaign Urges Japan to Champion UN Curbs on Illicit Gun Trade
14 March 2006
Japan Times / Kyodo
LONDON — Campaigners on Monday called on Japan to lead efforts to strengthen the international code on the export of small arms.
The London-based International Action Network on Small Arms, a group of more than 700 civic organizations around the world, wants the rules to be made more explicit to deter exports to countries that abuse human rights.
It will call on members of the United Nations in June to strengthen the code and wants Japan to take more of a lead in... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Needs to Take Lead on Reforming Global Gun Rules, Says IANSA
12 March 2006
Kyodo News / Japan Economic Newswire
LONDON — Campaigners called on Japan on Monday to lead efforts to toughen up the international code on the export of small arms.
The London-based International Action Network on Small Arms wants the rules to be made more explicit in order to deter exports to countries where human rights abuses exist.
It will call on members of the United Nations in June to strengthen the existing code and wants Japan to take more of a lead in discussions.
IANSA estimates that more... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Ban Powerful Toy Air Guns in Wake of Injuries, Assaults
5 February 2006
Japan Economic Newswire / Kyodo
TOKYO — The National Police Agency has decided to ban the ownership of powerful toy air guns in order to curb incidents involving such guns being remodeled to give them killing power, agency officials said Sunday.
The agency will submit legislation to revise the firearm control law to the ongoing Diet session so a violator will face imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 300,000 yen, they said.
According to the agency, 165 injury and assault cases... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's Top Mafia Boss Jailed Over Bodyguard's Gun
5 December 2005
Pravda / AP
The head of Japan's largest underworld crime syndicate was jailed Monday, public prosecutors said, after the country's top court rejected his appeal in a gun control violation case.
Kenichi Shinoda, 63, surrendered to Osaka prefectural (state) police and was placed in the local detention center, a public prosecutor's office spokesman said anonymously in accordance with the office's regulations.
Last Thursday, the Supreme Court sentenced Shinoda, who became head of... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's Crime Boss Faces 6yrs Prison for His Bodyguard's Gun
1 December 2005
Kyodo News
The boss of Japan's largest crime syndicate, Yamaguchi-gumi, will be imprisoned soon as the Supreme Court has rejected his appeal in a gun control law violation case, sources familiar with the case said Thursday.
The top court decision, dated Tuesday, finalizes a six-year prison sentence on Kenichi Shinoda, 63, who has been on bail, they said.
Shinoda is convicted of conspiracy with a bodyguard who was found to be in illegal possession of a gun in 1997.
Shinoda,... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's Hidden Small Arms Trade
1 December 2005
Asia Times (Hong Kong) / Japan Focus
Japan's 2004 announcement that it was considering joining the US in the production of a missile defense system was deeply troubling to Japanese and Asians concerned about the country's expansive military posture in tandem with the Americans.
Over the years, Japan has created a high-tech, non-nuclear military force. But it has steadfastly maintained an official ban on weapons exports. Many feared that the 2004 move heralded the end of Japan's nearly 40-year-old ban on... (GunPolicy.org)
Air Guns Powerful 'Toys' Beyond Reach of Police
19 October 2005
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
In legal terms, they are toys; in the wrong hands, say some law enforcement officials, they are potential killers and should be controlled.
But as the National Police Agency is discovering, ensuring the safe use of air guns is easier said than done.
With more than 20 air gun attacks in the last two months, prefectural police nationwide have been ordered by the NPA to track souped up versions.
But with no regulations or registering system for air guns, police have... (GunPolicy.org)
Police to Upgrade Clubs in Defence Against Rising Street Crimes
6 October 2005
Associated Press
The streets of Japan still aren't all that mean. Police often patrol neighborhoods on bicycles, spend much of their time talking to kids or giving directions, and were involved in just 11 shootouts last year. That's all year, nationwide.
But times are changing.
Amid an increase in street crime and violence directed at officers themselves, Japan's National Police Agency is seeking to upgrade its defensive arsenal, introducing sturdier clubs as standard equipment for... (GunPolicy.org)
United Kingdom,Europe,Japan,Russia,Canada,United Nations,Australia
Feature: G8 Nations and Australia's Global Gun Sales Detailed
7 July 2005
Age (Melbourne)
As George Bush, Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin and the other G8 leaders discuss the world's problems at their luxurious Gleneagles hotel, Africa's death dealers are hawking their wares in open-air markets.
In the Somali capital, Mogadishu, at least four gun markets operate where Russian made AK-47 assault rifles, American M-16s and German semi-automatics are sold for less than $250. Not far from the markets, mortars, missiles and anti-aircraft guns can be tested. If you... (GunPolicy.org)
United States,Europe,Japan,Canada,Russia,United Nations
Arms for the Poor: G8 Gun Sales to Impoverished Countries
6 July 2005
Age (Melbourne)
UNITED STATES — The dominant player in the international arms trade, delivering $205 billion of conventional weapons between 1996 and 2003. Though US law prevents exports to countries with human rights violations, America has recently equipped forces in Colombia, Israel, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The development agencies' report (see main story) said big and persistent concerns remained over the human rights record of all of those... (GunPolicy.org)
TV Asahi Hit for Biased Report on Fugitive
15 February 2005
Japan Times
The Kobe District Court handed Miki Nishimura a suspended three-year sentence and 1 million yen fine on Jan. 25 for violating the Firearms and Sword Possession Control Law and Customs Law.
She was arrested in July 2003 for allegedly helping Kozo Wada smuggle guns. Wada is a Japanese resident of the United States who is now a fugitive and on a Hyogo Prefectural Police wanted list.
Nishimura's sentence was suspended for four years.
Wada had been exporting disabled... (GunPolicy.org)
TV Asahi Hit for Biased Report on Fugitive
15 February 2005
Japan Times
TV Asahi's "Hodo Station" news show featured a story last fall on the smuggling of guns into Japan, focusing in part on Kozo Wada, a fugitive who had been arrested and tried in the United States for unlicensed possession and exportation of guns to Japan.
But according to lawyer Seiichiro Onuki, the Oct. 11 show effectively misquoted a key witness and thus was biased heavily against Wada — a charge TV Asahi has denied.
In December, Onuki twice sent complaints to TV... (GunPolicy.org)
Smuggled Gun Gets Ex-Actor 3yrs in Prison
9 February 2005
Japan Times / Kyodo
OSAKA — A former child actor known for his role in a popular samurai film in the 1970s was sentenced Tuesday to three years in prison for smuggling a handgun into Japan from Thailand.
The ruling handed down against 36-year-old Akihiro Tomikawa by the Tokyo District Court fell short of the prosecutors' demand by one year. He faced charges including violation of the Firearm and Sword Control Law.
Tomikawa played Daigoro, son of the leading character in the film... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Face Complaint for Letting Killer Have Shotgun
10 January 2005
Japan Times / Kyodo
UTSUNOMIYA, Tochigi Prefecture — Family members of the victims in a deadly shooting will file a criminal complaint Tuesday against police officers and the chief of the Tochigi Prefecture public safety commission, claiming they allowed the killer to own a shotgun without full inspection, according to sources.
Kimiko Tanaka, 60, and another woman were shot by a neighbor in Utsunomiya in July 2002. Tanaka died and the other woman was injured. The shooter killed... (GunPolicy.org)
North Korea Sold Arms to Moro Extremists
3 January 2005
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
North Korea sold more than 10,000 rifles and other weapons in 1999 and 2000 to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest pro-Al-Qaida extremist group in the Philippines, according to Southeast Asian security sources.
Between 1999 and 2002, North Korea also attempted to sell submersible vessels to the MILF, who are fighting for independence for Mindanao in the southern Philippines, the sources said.
North Korea's submersible infiltration craft are... (GunPolicy.org)
Control Arms Gun Control 'Faces' Campaign Launched
17 December 2004
Kyodo News (Japan)
A global campaign for the control of weapons worldwide will be launched in Japan on Saturday, organizers said Friday.
The Million Faces Petition is a visual petition — collecting "signatures" in the form of photos and self-portraits of the petitioners — intended to show concern about the proliferation and misuse of arms around the world and urge governments to take action on tougher arms control.
It is part of the Control Arms campaign begun worldwide in October... (GunPolicy.org)
Our Ban on Gun Exports Leads the World, Says Inoguchi
20 September 2004
Asahi Shimbun (Japan), Opinion
Japan has firmly stood by its three principles of arms exports that conform to the fundamental philosophy of the Constitution-one worthy of a peaceful nation.
But to meet new developments, the government has expressed exceptional cases in the form of comments by chief Cabinet secretaries. Examples include the provision of weapons technology to the United States for security reasons and the transfer of devices to remove antipersonnel land mines from a humanitarian... (GunPolicy.org)
Americans Should Curb Spread of WMDs in Their Own Country
20 September 2004
Japan Times, Opinion
LONDON — The failure of Congress to renew a 10-year ban on the sale of assault rifles and other dangerous weapons may seem to politicians a simple price to pay to win the support of the National Rifle Association in the forthcoming presidential election.
This powerful lobby is backing the re-election of President George W. Bush and considers bans on the sale of such weapons to be an infringement of the constitutional right of American citizens to bear arms. This is... (GunPolicy.org)
Accused Gun Smuggler Fails to Appear in Court
4 September 2004
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Oregon — A half-dozen Japanese reporters and news crews were stationed at the U.S. District Courthouse here, waiting for the arrival of a Beaverton man scheduled to return to Japan to face gun-smuggling charges.
But Kozo Wada, 45, never showed.
Chris Schatz, an assistant federal defender who is representing Wada, speculated Thursday this his client fled because he feared returning to Japan. Schatz said the prospect of being held in a Japanese jail without... (GunPolicy.org)
Student Imports Thai Gun to Commit Suicide
26 August 2004
Mainichi Shimbun (Japan)
OSAKA — A woman charged with importing a gun from Thailand has told police that she wanted to commit suicide in front of her mother because she couldn't forgive her for remarrying.
"I couldn't forgive my mother because she remarried without consulting me and her attitude suddenly became cold," Sachiyo Nakanishi, was quoted as telling Osaka Prefectural Police and customs officials.
"I thought I'd commit suicide in front of her eyes," added the 21-year-old... (GunPolicy.org)
Fourth Among Gun Importers, Says Small Arms Survey
1 July 2004
Kyodo News (Japan)
GENEVA — Japan was the world's fourth largest small arms importer in 2001 after the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Cyprus, with $151 million worth of imports of items mainly for the Self-Defense Forces, according to a study released by a Geneva-based institute Wednesday.
The study titled "Small Arms Survey 2004: Rights at Risk" by the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva also showed that Japan ranked ninth among countries exporting nonmilitary small weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
Vast Budget Fuels Huge Arms Industry
20 June 2004
Japan Times
Deep in the heart of Aichi Prefecture is the headquarters of an engineering company founded 100 years ago to make textile looms. Having borne the name Howa Machinery, Ltd. since 1945, today its products range from window frames to road-sweepers — but it also derives around 12 percent of its business from weapons sales. In fact, 2004 marks the 40th year since its Type 64 rifle and 81mm mortar were selected by the Defense Agency for use by the Self-Defense Forces.
That... (GunPolicy.org)
Spontaneous Poll in Park: Would You Use a Gun?
20 February 2004
Japan Today
Japan Today's Sachie Kanda dropped into Hibiya Park to ask: If Japanese public security gets worse in future, how would you like to protect yourself? Would you use a gun?
Taro Tanaka, 23
"If someone threatens me on the street late at night, I'll beat the crap out of him with a sharp karate kick. I've been learning karate for eight years. I know I can protect myself in that kind of situation. For people who don't know karate, it might be a good idea for them to have a... (GunPolicy.org)
Concern Over Gun Sales Through Internet
12 February 2004
Xinhua
TOKYO — More than a quarter of illegal guns seized by Japanese police last year were traded through Internet, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
The police confiscated 785 guns in 2003, up 38 from the previous year. Of the seizures, a record number of 201 were bought via Internet, the agency said, adding people without gang affiliations are having easier access to weapons.
The number of shooting cases stood at 139 last year, down 19 from the previous year,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Enthusiasts Drive Booming Illegal Gun Trade
12 February 2004
Mainichi Shimbun (Japan)
The number of handguns police seized from online traders has shot up by nearly 75 percent in 2003 from the corresponding figure a year before, a National Police Agency (NPA) report has shown.
The report published on Thursday also revealed that gun enthusiasts have clearly overtaken members of gang organizations as the number one customers in the illegal gun trade. A total of 785 pistols were confiscated in Japan and 451 of them, or 57.5 percent, were seized from... (GunPolicy.org)
Man Turns Gun on Self After Shooting 2 Policemen
1 February 2004
Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
KOBE — A man fatally shot himself in the head on a street here after shooting two policemen answering an emergency call, officers said.
A local resident in Sayo, Hyogo Prefecture, made the call to local police at about 11:30 p.m., Saturday, saying, "There's a man here with a gun."
The two police officers from the Sayo Police Station rushed to the scene — in front of a restaurant owned by the man's ex-wife — when the man shot at them.
He then put the gun to his... (GunPolicy.org)
Clinton Discusses Gun Control With Parents of Boy Slain in US
20 November 2003
Kyodo News
NAGOYA — Former U.S President Bill Clinton on Wednesday met with the parents of a Japanese high school exchange student who was shot dead in Louisiana in 1992, their first reunion since they met 10 years ago at the White House.
Clinton, who has actively sought stricter gun controls since the incident, chatted with the boy's parents, Masaichi and Mieko Hattori. Clinton visited the Hattoris after delivering a lecture at Aichi Gakuin University in Nisshin, Aichi... (GunPolicy.org)
Guardian Angels to Promote No Gun Campaign at Roppongi
27 October 2003
Japan Today
TOKYO — The Alliance of Guardian Angels, Inc (www.guardianangels.or.jp) will hold a "Stop Guns Caravan" campaign for the 9th time at Roppongi Hills Arena on Nov 11.
The campaign aims to eradicate gun crimes which are on the increase in Japan. The theme of the campaign is "No! Guns 2003 in Roppongi Hills," and is being supported by Mori Building Co, Ltd.
There will be short videos promoting "No! Guns" at 200 places inside Roppongi Hills. A special event will be held... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Gun Dealer in US on Wanted List for Smuggling
1 August 2003
Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
A Japanese gun shop owner in the United States has been placed on a police wanted list in Japan for smuggling weapons into the country through Internet sales, police said.
The man, Kozo Wada, 44, is accused of violating the Swords and Firearms Control Law by selling items from his store in Oregon to collectors in Japan.
A search of Wada's family home in Yao, Osaka, reportedly uncovered a machine gun and six handguns.
Police said Wada appeared to have sold items to... (GunPolicy.org)
Assemblyman Under Fire for Using Rifle to Scare Off Birds
31 July 2003
Mainichi Shimbun (Japan)
TOKUSHIMA, Japan — A local assembly member who used a rifle to save small fish in a rice paddy in Tokushima Prefecture from herons has been arrested for violating firearms laws, police said.
The man, Koei Kawatsu, 56, a vice chairman of the Yasugi Municipal Assembly was arrested on suspicion of violating the Swords and Firearms Control Law and the Explosives Control Law after he allegedly fired shots into a flooded paddy on Wednesday. He has reportedly admitted to... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Envoy Harnesses Arms Campaign to Boost United Nations
2 July 2003
Reuters
UNITED NATIONS — A Japanese diplomat, concerned the United Nations may be weakened by go-it-alone diplomacy like the U.S.-led war on Iraq, hopes her leadership of a U.N. crackdown on the small arms trade will show multilateralism can still work.
"We are at a diplomatic crossroads as to how a multinational institution can serve and make the world a safer place," said Japanese Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi, who will chair a weeklong U.N. conference opening on Monday and... (GunPolicy.org)
Authorities Complain Over Armed US Soldier Wandering Around
3 June 2003
Kyodo News
NAHA, Japan — Japanese authorities filed an unofficial protest with the U.S. military on Monday, a day after a U.S. military police officer was found toting a rifle outside the U.S. Kadena Air Force Base, prompting a promise by the U.S. military to stop the practice.
The public affairs office of the Kadena Air Force Base later issued a statement saying while U.S. military police are allowed under the status-of-forces agreement to carry firearms while on official... (GunPolicy.org)
Toyshop Owners Nabbed for Powering Up Pop Guns
13 May 2003
Mainichi Daily News (Japan)
TSU, Kobe — Two men were arrested Tuesday for manufacturing homemade guns and selling them at their toyshop in Kobe, police said.
Junichi Tanaka, manager of the "Paradise" toy retailer, and his employer Shogo Yasuda, were arrested on charges of illegally manufacturing firearms. "I just wanted to make powerful guns," Tanaka reportedly told police. Two of their clients were also busted as police seized eight zip guns.
Police said Tanaka, of Yumesaki, Hyogo Prefecture,... (GunPolicy.org)
Gov't to Crack Down on Internet Trading of Firearms
26 April 2003
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The government decided Friday to tighten the crackdown on Internet trading of firearms as the centerpiece of its firearms control program for fiscal 2003, which began in April.
A Cabinet Office task force chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda will focus on Net arms trafficking as 115 guns traded over the Internet were seized in Japan in fiscal 2002, a roughly fourfold increase from fiscal 2001, the officials... (GunPolicy.org)
Ambassador Calls Small Arms "De Facto Weapons of Mass Destruction"
23 April 2003
Reuters
OSLO — The world must do more to curb illicit trade in small arms that have become "de facto weapons of mass destruction," killing hundreds of thousands of people a year, a disarmament expert said on Wednesday.
Kuniko Inoguchi, Japan's ambassador to the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, said that despite the high death toll, the illicit trade was getting less attention than the alleged chemical and biological arms that were President Bush's main reason for... (GunPolicy.org)
Use of Firearms by Police Doubles in 2002
3 April 2003
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The number of incidents involving the use of police firearms more than doubled in 2002, jumping from 26 cases in the previous year to 54, the highest in the past five years, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.
In a report presented to the National Public Safety Commission, the NPA said police officers actually fired their guns in 30 cases and pointed their guns at suspects in 24 cases.
The firing killed two suspects and injured nine others, but... (GunPolicy.org)
NPA Survey Shows Increase in Firearms Use by Police Officers
3 April 2003
Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
The number of cases in which police officers discharged their handguns in self-defense or for other reasons totaled 30 last year, 1.8 times higher than the previous year's 17 cases, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Of that number, 10 incidents involved shots fired at suspects, marking a twofold increase from 2001. During 2002, two suspects were killed and nine were injured by police officers' gunshots, including warning shots.
Four police officers received... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Soaks Up Anti-Gun Message
12 March 2003
International Herald Tribune
TOKYO — Celebrity-packed casts, fantastic plots and glossy Hollywood effects are usually what draw crowds to movie theaters in Japan. So it might come as something of a surprise that one of the most talked about movies in Tokyo these days is a documentary about the United States' social problems.
The movie is "Bowling for Columbine," Michael Moore's look at guns, racism and fear in contemporary America. As in Europe, critics in Japan have enthusiastically praised... (GunPolicy.org)
Bidding a Farewell to Arms in Japan
25 February 2003
Japan Times
When a bullet strikes the car in which one is riding, the sound — a sharp, metallic "WHAP!" — is unmistakable. This writer has heard it twice in his life, and I hope the second time will be the last.
Not all of my experiences with firearms have been like that. My dad, an army officer, gave me a Remington .22 caliber rifle for my eighth birthday. He taught me how to load, aim and shoot, and instructed me in gun safety. So I never shot myself. Or anybody else.
Guns... (GunPolicy.org)
Parents of Japanese Boy Killed in US Receive Volunteer Award
3 December 2002
Kyodo News
NAGOYA — The parents of a Japanese boy shot dead while studying in the United States 10 years ago received an award Tuesday from the American Field Service (AFS) Intercultural Programs for their volunteer service in promoting cultural understanding.
Masaichi Hattori, 55, and his wife Mieko, 54, became the first Japanese to receive the Galatti Award, which is an international award and the highest commendation granted annually by AFS.
After their son Yoshihiro was... (GunPolicy.org)
US Marine Gets Suspended Term for Smuggling Gun
21 November 2002
Japan Today / Kyodo
NAHA — The Naha District Court sentenced a U.S. Marine stationed at Camp Hansen in Okinawa Prefecture to a three-year prison term, suspended for four years, on Thursday for smuggling a handgun into Japan.
Prosecutors had demanded a three-year prison term.
Presiding Judge Soichi Hayashida said in handing down the ruling on Lance Corporal Preston Earl, "The crime is serious but the defendant had no intention of actually using the gun or to sell it but only intended to... (GunPolicy.org)
Monthly Gun Haul Goes Easy on Mob
15 November 2002
Japan Times
More than half of the illegal firearms seized by police last month were confiscated from individuals outside of organized crime, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
The agency reported that in October — when police stepped up efforts to crack down on illegal firearms — 139 guns were seized, up 35 from the same period last year.
Of these, 87 were taken from people other than mobsters, up 49 from October last year, the agency said.
About 20 of the weapons... (GunPolicy.org)
NPA, Russians to Meet Over Pistol Smuggling
7 November 2002
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
Officials of the National Police Agency will hold talks with their Russian counterparts next week over the smuggling of Makarov pistols by the Russian mafia, as the number of the Russian military firearms seized in Japan has been increasing, the sources said Thursday.
The agency will invite four senior officials from the Russian Federal Security Service to Japan on Tuesday. The meeting will mark the first time for the Japanese and Russian police to cooperate in an... (GunPolicy.org)
Parents of Japanese Boy Killed in US Appeal for Gun Control
18 October 2002
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Ten years on since their 16-year-old son was shot dead while studying in the United States as a high school exchange student, the parents of Yoshihiro Hattori from Aichi Prefecture are still campaigning for gun control.
Hattori's mother Mieko, 54, and father Masaichi, 55, traveled to the U.S. for two weeks in late September. In addition to visiting Baton Rouge in Louisiana where their son was killed, they also visited a high school in Minnesota which... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Reinforce Gun, Drug Control Units
1 October 2002
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Tokyo police on Tuesday integrated their firearms and drug control sections as part of restructuring aimed at stepping up ways to combat organized crime, which is becoming more complex and diverse, the police said.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) also created sections for dealing with organized crime in 96 of the 101 police stations in Tokyo to prepare for the establishment next spring of a bureau at the headquarters to deal with gangland... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Propose United Nations Meeting on Illicit Small-Arms Trade
9 September 2002
Kyodo News
GENEVA — Japan has drafted a U.N. resolution urging the world body to address the issue of the illicit global trade in small arms that critics say are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
A draft of the resolution, made available to Kyodo News on Friday, calls on the U.N. General Assembly to convene a conference of states in July or September next year to address the matter.
The United Nations adopted an action program in July last year calling... (GunPolicy.org)
Gang Warfare Lull Cuts Number of Gunshot Victims
9 August 2002
Japan Times
The number of shootings in Japan in the first half of this year declined by 43 from a year ago to 88 due to a de-escalation in gang warfare, but only 22 were probed, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
The agency said that 22 of the 88 cases were investigated and reckoned that 58 of them were gang-related.
The number of homicides and armed robberies involving guns fell by 22 to 71, agency officials said, adding that 13 people lost their lives, down by seven from... (GunPolicy.org)
Shootings Raise Questions About Police Gun Use
29 April 2002
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
Police officials admit more warning shots are being fired since regulations on police gun use were relaxed in December.
The fatal shooting of two suspects by police officers this month has raised questions on officers use of guns and the effect of revised regulations on police weapons use.
Debate over the appropriateness of the shootings has also prompted the National Police Agency to consider making public reports on fatal shootings by its officers.
Regulations were... (GunPolicy.org)
Aichi Cops Admit to Faking Gun Discovery
13 April 2002
Kyodo News
NAGOYA — Three Aichi Prefectural Police officers fabricated the confiscation of a handgun last July in an attempt to make it appear that the firearm, which had actually been seized in Osaka, was found in Aichi Prefecture, it was learned Friday.
According to prefectural police officials, they include a 54-year-old assistant inspector and 52-year-old sergeant.
The three have admitted to the allegations, saying they wanted to improve handgun confiscation figures for... (GunPolicy.org)
Conventional Arms Cut Office to Be Set Up
17 March 2002
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The Foreign Ministry will set up an office April 1 to promote conventional weapons disarmament abroad by encouraging demining operations and collection of small arms, government sources said Sunday.
The tentatively called conventional weapons office with six to seven members will deal only with conventional arms and not weapons of mass destruction namely nuclear, biological and chemical arms, the sources said.
The team will begin formulating measures to help... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Find Illegal Lethal Air Guns Sold on Internet
13 February 2002
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
M29 air guns, the production of which was suspended 16 years ago due to worry that they could kill people, are currently being sold via Internet auction sites, and have been seized lately by police in increasing numbers, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
The air guns were banned shortly after they were put on the market, but several hundred of the guns are estimated to be in the hands of the public, an MPD official said.
"Possessing a toy gun that is... (GunPolicy.org)
Terror Attacks Highlight Illicit Trade in Small Arms
25 January 2002
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Participants in an international conference on illicit trade in small arms have agreed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States have helped highlight the issue, a conference official said Friday.
The participants from 32 governments and a number of organizations, including nongovernmental organizations and research institutes, agreed during three days of talks ending Friday that the attacks had the effect of making the issues … even more... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Prepares to Tangle With Soccer Hooligans
22 January 2002
Reuters
TOKYO, Japan — Soccer hooligans, beware. Japan's reputation as a safe nation might make it a tempting target for unruly soccer fans to stir up some violence at this summer's World Cup event, but police here are confident they can restrain their enemies with a unique new weapon: the net gun.
Anyone going wild will be trapped under a net and they won't be able to move, said Masahisa Tamura, a press officer at the Sapporo Police Headquarters on the northern island of... (GunPolicy.org)
Tokyo to Host International Small Arms Conference
21 January 2002
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The Foreign Ministry will host a three-day international meeting starting Wednesday to follow up on an action plan adopted last July by the United Nations to curb illicit global shipments of small weapons, ministry officials said Monday.
Representatives from more than 30 U.N. member nations and nongovernmental organizations are expected to participate in the meeting to discuss measures to realize the plan, the officials said.
Adopted at the end of a two-week... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Eyes Extension of Small Arms-Collection Program
18 January 2002
Japan Times
Nearly 10 months after launching a guns for butter program in Cambodia, Japan is preparing to extend the pilot project to include other conflict-plagued, impoverished countries around the globe, especially in Asia and Africa.
According to Foreign Ministry sources, Japan is considering cooperating with the U.N. Development Program's small arms-collection and development efforts in the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.
Japan is also considering accepting an informal... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan's Disarmament Policy to Shift to Small Arms
6 January 2002
Kyodo News
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will announce in a policy speech before the Diet later this month a shift in Japan's disarmament policy to the reduction of conventional weapons such as small arms and land mines, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported Sunday.
Japan will make the cuts in conventional arms a new pillar in the country's disarmament policy, as the reduction of weapons of mass destruction, which Japan had considered a priority, hit a snag after the United States said... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Seize 890 Guns in January-November
21 December 2001
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Police forces seized 890 guns nationwide from January to November, 34 more than in the same period last year, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday.
The agency also said in a report on firearms that there were 207 reported shooting incidents during the period, almost double last year's figure. Seventy-one cases were gang-war related.
The report said there has been an increase in the number of people who have died from gun shots, with 38 such... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Police Arrest God of Garbage
21 December 2001
Reuters
TOKYO — A Japanese sanitation worker known as the God of Garbage was arrested by police this week for threatening a bar owner at knifepoint because he refused to separate his trash, the Mainichi Daily news reported.
Mizuo Tamura, 55, a manager in the environmental section in the Kajiki municipal government, was arrested for breaking Japan's Firearms and Swords Control Law early on Thursday, the newspaper said in its online edition.
(The bar owner) wasn't separating... (GunPolicy.org)
Public Needs More Details to Monitor Police Gun Use
20 November 2001
Asahi Shimbun (Japan), Editorial
Restrictions on when police can use their firearms have been revised in the National Public Safety Commission's rules, with the changes to take effect Dec. 1. This is the first significant change in police gun rules in 39 years.
The current rules set out for conditions for police use of weapons at a crime scene. Police must first try to subdue the suspect with a nightstick or some weapon other than a gun. They must then shout a warning of intent to use a weapon, and... (GunPolicy.org)
NPA Instructs Local Cops Not to Get Trigger-Happy
16 November 2001
Japan Times
The National Police Agency has instructed prefectural police nationwide in charge of training and education to ensure their officers do not overuse their service revolvers.
The instruction came Wednesday after the NPA last week issued revised guidelines on gun use by police and relaxed rules governing the use of guns in self-defense, noting an increase in the number of officers killed in the line of duty.
Addressing about 190 top officials in Tokyo, Shigeaki Ishikawa,... (GunPolicy.org)
834 Firearms Seized in Jan-Oct Period in Japan
15 November 2001
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Police confiscated 834 pistols in Japan from January to October, up 148 from the corresponding period last year, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
Of the pistols, 95 were Makarov pistols from Russia, up from 35 seized during the whole previous year. Agency officials said they are concerned about a possible expansion of Makarov smuggling channels.
Crimes involving Makarov guns, .38-caliber automatic pistols used by the former Soviet military, have... (GunPolicy.org)
Officers' Deaths Spark 'No-Warning' Gun-Use Rules
14 November 2001
Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
Alarmed by an increase in deaths and injuries of police officers, the National Police Agency will relax gun use guidelines to allow officers to fire their weapons without warning when their lives or citizens are in danger.
The new guidelines, which the NPA sent to prefectural police headquarters nationwide last week, will go into effect Dec. 1.
Under the revised rules, police officers in imminent danger can fire their guns at suspects without first using their clubs,... (GunPolicy.org)
NPA Releases Relaxed Gun-Use Guidelines for Police
9 November 2001
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The National Police Agency (NPA) on Friday issued revised guidelines on the use of guns by officers that relax self-defense requirements in the wake of increased numbers of officers killed in the line of duty.
In the guidelines on the use of guns and batons that will take effect on Dec. 1, the NPA presents about 80 cases in which guns may be used so that officers will not hesitate when their lives are threatened.
The Law Concerning the Execution of Duties of... (GunPolicy.org)
OK for US MPs to Carry Guns on Duty Off-Base
7 November 2001
Japan Update
Regarding the United States military police carrying guns while on duty off bases for security reasons, the Japanese government made a statement, Friday that the practice is not against the Status of Forces Agreement between U.S. and Japan. The statement referred to the article seventeen of the Status of Forces Agreement that specifically permits the armed duty both on and off... (GunPolicy.org)
Shooting Leaves Japanese Jittery Over Influx of Guns
4 November 2001
Seattle Times
TOKYO — A Japanese gangster opened fire Friday afternoon in a crowded train station in Kobe, injuring a policeman and a commuter after he was caught trying to peek under a woman's skirt, Japanese police said.
The incident, which occurred at rush hour, was unsettling in a nation where guns are rare and crime rates low by international standards.
"I commute every day by train at peak time," said Kaori Sano, a 32-year-old office worker living in Tokyo. "For someone to... (GunPolicy.org)
Mobster Shoots Two After Peeking Up Skirt
2 November 2001
Reuters
TOKYO — A Japanese gangster fired his gun and injured two policemen on Friday after they caught him trying to peek up a woman's skirt.
"There was a shooting at the train station and it seems people were injured," said a police spokesman in the western port city of Kobe. He declined to comment further.
The 52-year-old "yakuza" gangster, a member of the huge Yamaguchi crime syndicate, was trying to look up the woman's skirt when a policeman noticed and tried to... (GunPolicy.org)
Naha Court Sentences 3 to Jail for Smuggling Guns, Bullets
18 October 2001
Kyodo News
NAHA, Japan-The Naha District Court gave three Japanese men prison sentences of up to 13 years Thursday for jointly smuggling 86 pistols and some 1,000 bullets into Japan from the Philippines in September last... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Struggling to Keep Pace on Air Security Measures
7 October 2001
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The transport ministry and Japanese airlines are finding it difficult to keep pace with the United States in launching immediate measures against possible terrorist attacks, ministry officials said Sunday.
The U.S. as well as at least two other countries-Australia and Germany-began placing air marshals aboard planes following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington using hijacked planes, said the officials from the Ministry of Land,... (GunPolicy.org)
Police Need Equalizer in Line of Fire
31 August 2001
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan), Editorial
Recent years have seen an increasing number of police officers injured in the line of duty. The nation's police apparently remain unprepared for the changing times with the accompanying rapid growth in the incidence of violent crimes. Steps must be taken to ensure that police continue to be seen as reliable guardians of the public peace.
The recent fatal stabbing of a police officer by a knife-wielding man in a shopping district in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward has horrified... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun-Related Crimes Mark 10-Year High
3 August 2001
Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
Violent crimes involving the use of guns nationwide increased in the first half of this year to mark their highest figure in a decade, National Police Agency officials said Thursday.
According to the agency, gun-related crimes, including murder, robbery, infliction of injury and blackmail, totaled 93 cases in the January-June period, up six cases from the same period last year.
Of these, murder and attempted murder cases increased from 16 to 29, with the number of... (GunPolicy.org)
25 July 2001
Japan Times / Kyodo
KAGOSHIMA — A man who runs his own business in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has been indicted on firearms charges after purchasing a handgun over the Internet, local prosecutors said Wednesday.
The U.S.-made gun and six bullets were found in Hiroyuki Yamasaki's car on June 1, they... (GunPolicy.org)
Lines Drawn at Small-Arms Talks
11 July 2001
Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)
The United Nations conference on the illegal trade in small arms opened Monday with clear battle lines drawn between those countries that favor more aggressive international action to stem the flow of illicit weapons and those that think the issue should remain a domestic one.
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Jozias van Aartsen, set the tone of the debate by strongly endorsing the conference's draft program of action that calls on countries to regulate arms brokers and... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Tie its ODA, Other Foreign Aid to Weapons Collection
8 July 2001
Mainichi Daily News / Tokyo Mainichi Shimbun (Japan)
The government has decided to link overseas financial aid with the rounding up of small arms and light weapons in a bid to cut down carnage wrought by the weapons worldwide, sources revealed Saturday.
Along with tying official development assistance (ODA) to the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, the government will also seek to forge an international pact on the issue similar to a landmine accord, government officials added.
Under the plan, to be unveiled... (GunPolicy.org)
Read More: Mainichi Daily News / Tokyo Mainichi Shimbun (Japan)
1 Killed in Japan Office Shooting
15 June 2001
Associated Press
TOKYO — A Russian man was killed and two unidentified women were wounded in a shooting in northern Japan, police said Friday.
The three victims were shot Thursday night in an office building in Wakkanai on the northern island of Hokkaido, said Masaru Takeda, a local police spokesman.
Mikhaylenko Alexandre, 37, a Russian citizen who lived in Wakkanai, was found dead in a restroom, Takeda said.
The two wounded women, one shot in the face and the other in the hip,... (GunPolicy.org)
18 February 2001
Ottawa Sun (Ontario)
The number of crimes in Japan involving guns rose last year to the highest level in a decade, according to police statistics cited in a news report yesterday.
The National Police Agency logged 173 gun-related crimes in 2000, up from 170 in 1999 and 158 the previous year, public television broadcaster NHK said.
Armed Robberies
Though minuscule in comparison to many other industrialized countries, the figure was reportedly the highest in at least a decade in Japan, a... (GunPolicy.org)
Greater Gun Use Puts Bystanders in Line of Fire
14 August 2000
Daily Yomiuri (Japan)
A shooting incident Monday involving more than 10 armed gang members, who attacked the office of a right-wing organization in central Tokyo, killing two people and wounding five others, showed that guns are now becoming more of a threat to the lives of ordinary citizens.
However, although the number of guns in the possession of gangs is believed to have increased in recent years, police have been confiscating fewer firearms.
This indicates that current efforts to... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Use Intrudes on Japanese Serenity
11 August 2000
Washington Post Foreign Service
TOKYO — A crowd gathered as the sound of gunplay boomed across a downtown business district here Monday, and bloody gangsters tumbled out of an office building. In their trademark dark suits and aloha shirts, the mafiosi barked into cell phones and charged back up the stairs to return to the fray; one grabbed two golf clubs from a car to add to his arsenal, witnesses said.
It was street theater for the crowd. Gunfire is rare here, and the perception that only... (GunPolicy.org)
Two Killed, Six Wounded in Tokyo Shootout
7 August 2000
Reuters
TOKYO — A gunfight that broke out when a group of armed men burst into the office of a right-wing organization in central Tokyo on Monday left two people dead and six wounded, several of them seriously.
The attack appeared to have stemmed from a dispute between two rival groups over money, with one demanding that the other repay debts, Japanese media reports said.
They said around 15 attackers armed with guns and knives stormed into the office of the rightist group... (GunPolicy.org)
Gov't to Step Up Gun Control, Gun-Related Crime Rising
28 April 2000
Kyodo News
TOKYO — The government decided Friday to step up efforts to stop the rising incidence of the use of guns in crime, government officials said.
The decision came at a meeting held at the prime minister's official residence after the National Police Agency released a report saying for first three months of this year, there were 50 crimes reported in which guns were involved, 1.6 times the corresponding period last year.
Of the total, robbery involving guns rose to 37... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Military to Probe Gun Case
16 March 2000
Associated Press
TOKYO — Military police are investigating a cover-up in the case of an officer suspected of giving civilians unauthorized access to firearms, a top Japanese military official said Thursday.
The officer, a 53-year-old colonel in Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, was arrested Monday for breaking strict gun-control laws by allowing three friends to fire assault rifles at a military firing range in November 1994.
The arrest of Yasunobu Hideshima came amid mounting... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Host Gun Control Seminar Next Week
3 June 1999
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Japan will host an international conference next week to discuss a proposed U.N. treaty that would require gun makers to use globally standardized manufacturing serial numbers, government officials said Thursday.
Japan and 16 other countries on the Pacific Rim will take part in the gun control seminar next Wednesday and Thursday in Tokyo, to be hosted by the National Police Agency and the Foreign Ministry.
Police and judicial representatives of... (GunPolicy.org)
International Small Arms Conference in Tokyo Next Week
25 May 1999
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Japan will hold an international meeting Monday in Tokyo to discuss restricting the use of small arms in conflicts, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.
Experts on small arms from 23 countries, including the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — are scheduled to attend the four-day meeting, the officials said.
The meeting is part of a series of international talks to prepare for a... (GunPolicy.org)
World Horrified by School Shooting, Proliferation of Guns in US
21 April 1999
Associated Press
TOKYO — The deadly shooting at a suburban American high school left much of the world stunned and horrified, especially by the availability of guns in the United States.
In Hong Kong and New Delhi, the rampage that left at least 13 people dead was the top world news story. It was front-page news in major Japanese and Taiwanese newspapers for their evening editions.
South Korean TV stations carried it as urgent news. "The worst school shooting accident; The American... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan to Fund United Nations Efforts to Disarm Small Weapons
19 March 1999
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Japan plans to contribute [US] 440,000 dollars to the U.N. Secretariat and U.N. Development Program to help them undertake programs to disarm small conventional weapons like machine guns, a Foreign Ministry official said Friday.
The programs includes U.N.-led efforts in Latin America, Africa and Albania, the official said.
Illegal production and smuggling of small arms remain major problems in Latin America, the official said.
The United Nations is working... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan Police Report 154 Shooting Incidents, 19 Deaths in 1998
4 February 1999
Kyodo News
TOKYO — Japanese police recorded 154 shooting incidents last year, resulting in 19 deaths and injuries to 35 people, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
A total of 1,104 handguns were seized nationwide in 1998.
The number of shooting incidents last year was up six from 1997, but the number of fatalities decreased by three. Nearly nine out of 10 shooting incidents were thought to be gang-related.
Of the 54 firearm-related deaths and injuries, 21 — eight... (GunPolicy.org)
Handguns Seized by Tokyo Police in 1998 5-Year-High
4 January 1999
Kyodo News
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) confiscated 281 handguns — 40% of them converted from model guns — last year, the highest number seized in five years, officials said Monday.
The figure, which accounts for 20-30% of all handguns confiscated throughout the country, marked a big jump over the previous four years because of the large quantities of converted toy guns seized, MPD officials... (GunPolicy.org)
Symposium Focuses on US-Japan Gun Controls
18 October 1998
Kyodo News
NAGOYA — A symposium on gun controls in Japan and the United States took place in Nagoya on Sunday commemorating the seventh anniversary of the gunshot death of a Japanese high school student in Louisiana.
The event was sponsored by a group that has campaigned against gun-related crime in both nations since Yoshihiro Hattori, 16, of Nagoya was shot dead in Louisiana where he was studying on a home-stay program. His parents lead the group.
Panelists included Japanese... (GunPolicy.org)
Japan: Delegates Discuss Curbing Proliferation of Small Arms
7 September 1998
Kyodo News
TOKYO — representatives from 21 countries as well as from the international criminal police organization (interpol) started three-day talks in Tokyo on Monday to curb proliferation of small arms. At the meeting of experts, sponsored by the foreign ministry, participants will exchange views on ways to prevent illegal trading in small arms such as pistols and on methods to collect weapons from regions where warfare has ended, ministry officials said.
One method to be... (GunPolicy.org)
Gunfire Incidents in Japan Increase
6 August 1998
Kyodo News
Gunfire incidents in Japan in the first six months of this year nearly doubled from the year-earlier figure while the number of victims killed and injured also rose, according to a survey released Thursday by the National Police Agency.
Eighty-one cases of gunfire were seen between January and June, up from 43 during the same period last year, resulting in 10 deaths, up from nine, and 21 injuries, up from seven, the survey... (GunPolicy.org)
Japanese Laws Separate Biathletes from Their Best Friends - Their Rifles
2 February 1998
Associated Press
NAGANO — Sometimes, Stacey Wooley says, a biathlete just needs to be with her .22.
To pick it up. To put it to her cheek. To squeeze off a few dry rounds.
"You are better," Wooley said, "when you are one with your rifle."
But for Wooley, from Newberry, N.H., and other Olympic biathlon competitors, Japan has turned into the land of the locked-up gun.
Severe restrictions on all firearms in this country mean biathletes — whose sport is a mixture of cross-country... (GunPolicy.org)
Knife-Wielding Schoolboy Attacks Tokyo Policeman
2 February 1998
Kyodo News
A 15-year-old schoolboy was arrested Monday for attacking a police officer with a knife while attempting to steal the officer's gun in yet another act of teenage violence, police said.
At around 12:15 a.m., the boy, a third-year junior high school student, attacked Yoshinari Yasuda, 54, a police officer who was patrolling Tokyo's Koto Ward on... (GunPolicy.org)
Rifle Storage Facility Opens in Nozawa Onsen
31 January 1998
Kyodo News
NOZAWA ONSEN, Japan — An alternative rifle storage facility, that will be used by the athletes participating in the biathlon event at the Nagano Olympic Winter Games, opened Friday in the ski resort village of Nozawa Onsen.
The facility was opened after several of the participants in the biathlon event decided to stay at hotels and inns at the hot springs resort in order avoid the commute to the Olympic Village in Nagano, located over 50 kilometers away.
The... (GunPolicy.org)
Gun Laws, Unhappy Locals Could Take Shine Off Olympic Biathlon
8 January 1998
Associated Press
NOZAWA ONSEN, Japan — The Winter Olympics may put this hot springs and ski resort on the international sports map, but villagers here are up in arms over the idea of rifle-toting biathletes shooting up the hillsides.
Japan's gun control laws — among the world's strictest — have presented officials with a host of difficulties for the biathlon, which combines rifle shooting and cross-country skiing.
Mitsu Sato, head of the village's Olympic preparations, said two... (GunPolicy.org)