Japanese Teen Soldier Arrested After Shooting Leaves at Least 1 Dead

Members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) bring down the Japanese national flag in the early evening, at the JGSDF Miyako camp on Miyako Island, Okinawa prefecture, Japan, on April 20, 2022. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

A teenage Japanese soldier allegedly opened fire with a rifle at an army training base on Wednesday, resulting in the death of at least one soldier and injuries to two others, according to local reports.

Police arrested the suspected shooter, an 18-year-old Japan Self-Defense Force (SDF) recruit, on suspicion of attempted murder.

The shooting happened at around 9 a.m. (local time) at a military firing range in Gifu prefecture.

The three victims were in their 50s and 20s, local broadcaster NHK reported. One of the wounded victims is in a serious condition, according to Japan Today, but no civilian injuries have been reported so far.

The shooter allegedly fired about eight rounds during the incident, an SDF spokesperson told reporters without elaborating.

The possible motive and other details of the incident are yet to be known.