An 18-year-old is in custody after the shooting, police said.
TOKYO — Two people in central Japan are dead after a military recruit allegedly opened fire on his colleagues.
The incident occurred Wednesday at a Ground Self Defense Force-run indoor shooting range during routine, live-fire drills.
The Ground Self-Defense Force at Moriyama Garrison told ABC News that the live-fire pistol and rifle training held at the indoor range were routine and not out of the ordinary. They confirmed the suspect in custody was a candidate participating in the live-fire drill early Wednesday morning local Japan time.
Members of the Japanese Self-Defence Force are seen around the shooting range, in which a teenage member of SDF was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting incident, in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan June 14, 2023.
Kyodo via Reuters
Military authorities at the garrison have confirmed that the men killed were aged 25 and 52, both serving members. Additionally, another victim, a 25-year-old belonging to the same garrison, is currently in serious condition.
A fire truck leaves a base firing range of Ground Self Defence Force, following a deadly shooting in Gifu, central Japan, Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
Kyodo News via AP
The 18-year-old new recruit has admitted to the shooting, police in Gifu, the central Japanese city where the shooting took place, told ABC News. “Whether or not there was intent or motive is still being investigated. But there was admission of shooting,” they said.
Self-Defense Force candidates are required to take a three-month education and training course before being admitted.
Confessions from suspects in Japan are not uncommon. The rarity of gun violence, however, cannot be overstated owing to the strict control and limited access to firearms for the general populace.
