By VOA News June 14, 2023
A young Japanese soldier allegedly shot and killed two fellow soldiers and wounded a third at an army firing range Wednesday.
The incident occurred at a Ground Self-Defense Force range in central Gifu prefecture during a training exercise. Officials say the victims were a man in his 50s and two other men in their 20s. The older man and one of the younger men were later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The suspected gunman is reportedly an 18-year-old candidate who recently joined the GSDF. Authorities say he was immediately detained by other soldiers taking part in the exercise and has been charged with attempted murder of a 25-year-old soldier.
Wednesday’s incident is the first fatal shooting at a GSDF firing range since 1984.
The shooting is also the latest high-profile violent incident in Japan in recent months, which boasts strict gun control laws and low crime rates. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated last July while making a campaign speech by an attacker with a handmade gun.
Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unharmed after a man threw an explosive device at him at a campaign event in April.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
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