An 18-year-old Japanese soldier has been apprehended following a tragic incident at a military facility in central Japan, where two individuals lost their lives and one was injured due to gunfire.
The Self-Defence Force (SDF) member is alleged to have used an automatic weapon to shoot three people at a military shooting range in Gifu City at approximately 9 a.m.
The defence ministry of Japan has confirmed the details of the incident.
All three were taken to a hospital, the defence ministry said, and two died of their injuries.
During a media briefing, General Yasunori Morishita, the Chief of Staff for Ground Self-Defense Force (SDF), informed reporters that the individual responsible for the shooting had joined the service in April.
The victims of the tragic incident were instructors, and the police will be conducting an inquiry to determine the cause.
General Morishita emphasised the importance of investigating the cause of the incident to prevent such occurrences from happening in the future. The victims included three individuals, one in their 50s and two in their 20s. Fortunately, there were no reports of civilian casualties, as reported by public broadcaster NHK.
Shootings are extremely rare in Japan, where gun ownership is tightly regulated and anyone seeking to own a gun must go through a rigorous vetting process.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed with a homemade gun in July. The suspect previously worked in the Maritime SDF.
The SDF was dealt a blow in April when a helicopter crashed with 10 crew members on board in the sea off of the southern prefecture of Okinawa.
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