Japan: Cadet Fatally Shoots Two Soldiers

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • An 18-year-old Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) trainee opened fire at instructors during live-fire training on Wednesday at a military firing range in Gifu, central Japan, killing two and injuring another. He was immediately arrested on charges of attempted murder.1
  • The suspect reportedly told police that he intentionally shot his 52-year-old instructor, adding that he deliberately fired shots at another colleague who stood between himself and his target.2
  • This assault rifle exercise, which involved some 120 people, was the fifth and last drill for the suspect, who was about to complete his three-month educational training period to start working as regular personnel with fixed terms of a year and nine months.3
  • Following the incident, the GSDF suspended all its drills across the nation and instructed troops to ensure the management of their safety and provide comprehensive training to personnel. The suspect's motives are yet to be established.4
  • This is the first fatal shooting at an SDF facility since February 1984, when a GSDF member shot dead one person and seriously injured three others at a firing range in Yamaguchi. Though the shooter was arrested, the case was dropped by reason that he was mentally unfit to stand trial.5
  • High-profile incidents have shaken a largely violence-free Japan over the past months, with former PM Shinzo Abe being killed in July 2022 and current PM Fumio Kishida escaping an assassination attempt in April this year.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Nhk, 3Kyodo news+, 4The japan times, 5Japan and 6Guardian.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The mainichi. This tragic shooting comes as a surprise to the Japanese nation, as it's hard to understand why the suspect would do such a thing. Given that such an incident should never happen in an organization that operates weapons, the GSDF is now redoubling its efforts to prevent further attacks.
  • Narrative B, as provided by South china morning post. While authorities are yet to establish the suspect's motives, this tragedy was likely long in the making as young recruits too often experience bullying and sexual harassment while in service. The fact that the force failed to achieve its recruitment target last year should have raised red flags for the SDF.

Predictions