An 18-year-old army trainee in Japan was arrested after opening fire on his training instructors, killing two of them Wednesday, officials stated.
The suspect reportedly began firing a rifle at the soldiers during a training exercise at the Hino Kihon firing range, The Associated Press reported. The suspect wounded three of the instructors, two of whom succumbed to their injuries, according to Reuters. (RELATED: Army Sergeant Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering Fellow Soldier)
An 18-year-old army trainee shot three fellow soldiers at a firing range on a Japanese army base, killing two of them, officials said. The suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at the scene in central Japan. https://t.co/U0TVusITDc
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 14, 2023
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Yasunori Morishita told AP that the shooter joined the military in April 2023. It is believed a number of other recruits were taking place in the exercise at the time of the alleged shooting, but details are still under investigation, an army official told the outlet.
“An organization that handles weapons should never allow an incident like this to happen,” Morishita stated according to the outlet. “As head of the army, I take this very seriously.”
As a result of the alleged incident, Morishita ordered a nationwide temporary suspension of training exercises involving shooting and explosives as the army investigates the incident and works to establish safety measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring, the outlet reported.
Japanese media reported in April that the country’s military was struggling to meet its recruiting targets. In fiscal year 2022, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) reportedly added around 4,300 members, roughly 46 percent of its goal of 9,245.