Japan assassination suspect built own weapon

The daylight shooting of Japan’s longest-serving prime minister Friday surprised the world because of the island state’s low crime rates and strict gun control. Shinzo Abe, who served from 2006 to 2007 and 2012 to 2020, was shot from behind as he campaigned for other parliamentary candidates two days before the election. A suspect was immediately seized by police, who described his 15-inch weapon as obviously homemade.

What are Japan’s gun laws? They prohibit possession of firearms without a special license, and importing them is also illegal. The same rules apply to certain other weapons, like crossbows and some types of knives. For a license to shoot even clay targets, a person must be cleared by a doctor, declare information about family members, and pass tests on correct gun usage. Those who pass the checks and purchase a weapon must also buy a special locking system for it at the same time. The country of more than 125 million people had only 10 gun-related criminal cases last year, according to police. Those cases resulted in one death and four injuries. Eight of the 10 cases were gang-related.

Dig Deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s article in The Stew about possible legislation in the U.S. for a red flag law seizing firearms from potential support.