At least two dead after Japanese soldier opens fire during training drill at military base

Police have arrested the 18-year-old cadet on suspicion of attempted murder

Two members of the Japanese Ground Self Defence Forces (GSDF) were killed after a cadet opened fire during a training drill at a shooting range in Japan, it was reported.

Japan’s SDF said on Wednesday that an 18-year-old trainee opened fire at his colleagues, killing two and wounding one during a training drill in Gifu Prefecture.

The SDF members were taken to a hospital, reports said, where two of them were declared dead.

Police have arrested the 18-year-old cadet on suspicion of attempted murder, the Japan Times reported.

The incident took place around 9.00am local time in Ground SDF’s Hino basic firing range in Gifu city.

Local media said that the 6.7-hectare shooting range is about seven kilometres east of Gifu Station, and a number of tourist sites, including Gifu Castle. There is also a residential area nearby. Residents reportedly panicked after hearing the shots from the range.

No casualties were reported from the neighbourhood.

Police said that the suspect has admitted to the shooting. His identity was not yet revealed by the authorities. The two members who were shot were reportedly aged 25 and 52.

The third SDF member who was wounded is also 25.

Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary told the media: “We have received a report that the SDF personnel who fired the rifle has already been taken into custody. We will refrain from giving further details as the investigation is ongoing.”

Mr Matsuno, however, said that at least three people were wounded, according to CNN.

Shoji Tsusaki, 73, who lives near the shooting range told Mainichi that he sensed “something terrible had happened” when he heard the shots. He added: “I was just surprised and could not understand the situation.”

A 78-year-old who used to work part-time for SDF, was quoted as saying: “I cannot understand why the suspect did such a thing.”

The Imperial Japanese Army opened the base in 1907, according to the Asahi Shimbun, and it was confiscated by the US Army after the end of World War II, it said. SDF members reportedly began using the range in 1960.

In Japan, the rates of gun violence are among the lowest in the world.