TOKYO: A member of the Japan Self-Defence Force (SDF) was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting incident that resulted in two fatalities, local media reported.
An 18-year-old SDF member allegedly injured three other personnel with automatic weapon fire, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the defence ministry. The victims were transported to hospital, with two dying of their injuries, NHK said.
Chief Cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the incident happened at about 9am at an SDF shooting range in Hino City in the central Japanese prefecture of Gifu. An SDF spokesperson said eight shots were fired.
The victims included a man in his 50s and two in their 20s, and there were no reports of civilian casualties, NHK said.
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.