Gun Battle Kills 2 in Tokyo

[Joseph Svinth]

North American Post, August 12, 2000, page 6

The ever-increasing existence of guns in Japan became evident last Friday when a gun battle erupted on the streets of Tokyo leaving 2 people dead and five people injured.

While gun-related incidents are rare in Japan as compared to other developed countries, the number of gun-related crimes has risen drastically in recent years.

The bloody incident began when some 15 gangsters stormed the right-wing office of Sofusha in the Kojimachi central district of the capital.

Three men in one of the fourth-floor offices began exchanging gunfire with the intruders. After the exchange, two men from Sofusha held themselves up in the office and confronted police officers surrounding the building. After a tense hour, the gunmen were subdued and taken into custody.

The right-wing group was formed in 1985, but announced on July 25 that it would be dissolved because of financial problems and internal conflicts.

[Richard A Tolson]

Joe,
Thanks for the info!
Gee, you mean banning guns doesn't stop gun-related violence????!!!! Who'd a thunk?

[Earl Hartman]

No, but it prevents it from happening all over the place all of the time like in the US. Precisely the most noteworthy thing about this incident is its recognized rarity.

The plain fact of the matter is that there is little, if anything, to distinguish a lot of these right-wing groups from the common thugs with whom they exchange occasional gunfire; both groups are very violence-prone, and the right-wingers attract a lot of losers, like the skinhead and other fringe groups in this country. They are always spoiling for a fight and are very confrontational.

My guess is that most people in Japan, the police included, wouldn't give a tinker's damn if they all shot each other. That way, law-abiding citizens could go about their business unmolested. So long as this violence doesn't impinge on innocent bystanders too much, things will probably go along without much change. If civilians start getting caught in the crossfire, look out.

Earl