A 73-year-old man from the US was arrested in Japan recently after he brought a handgun into the country by mistake, violating Japan’s firearms control law.
According to NHK World, the international arm of the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the US national was arrested by the Japanese police after they found a revolver in his suitcase.
A US tourist was arrested after accidentally bringing a gun to Japan
For illustration purposes
Japanese police elaborated that the man told cruise ship staff that he had a gun in his baggage after boarding a vessel at Kobe Port in western Japan on 23 March.
The man had entered Japan through Kansai Airport a day prior, after departing the US state of Hawaii.
During interrogation, the US tourist revealed that the gun was meant for self-defence and that he had accidentally packed the firearm into his suitcase.Ā
It was only during his stay at a hotel in Osaka that he realised he had brought the gun into the country.
The man threw away the gun’s bullets inside a restroom
The man also told the police that he threw away the gun’s ammunition at the Kobe Port terminal as he thought that possessing both a firearm and bullets would lead to more serious charges.Ā
Japanese police corroborated this, saying that three bullets were found in a trashcan in a restroom at the terminal.
They also believe that the man passed through security checks at both the Hawaiian airport and Kansai airport with the gun in his suitcase, and is investigating how it got through the latter.
So, what do you guys think of this case? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.Ā
Also read: SG Teenager Detained After He Attempted to Buy Guns to Carry Out Deadly Attack on Mosques
