Japan: Man suspected in Saitama shooting arrested

Saitama [Japan], November 1 : A man suspected in a shooting at a hospital in Japan's Saitama has been arrested after the police raided a post office where he had been hiding for hours, The Japan Times reported.

Two men sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting at the hospital in the city of Toda, while two female staff members of the post office in neighbouring Warabi were said to be unharmed, with both having exited the building prior to the police raid.

At around 10:20 pm, the police entered the building and arrested the man, identified as 86-year-old Tsuneo Suzuki.

As per earlier reports, the sound of gunfire had been heard at the post office. It was not immediately clear if other staff members or customers had managed to leave the building prior to the police raid. Police earlier said the suspect fled the hospital on a motorcycle.

The victims at the hospital were a doctor in his 40s and a patient in his 60s, investigative sources said.

According to investigators, there was a fire at an apartment in Toda that is believed to be the suspect's residence, NHK reported. Police are probing any potential connections between the shooting and the fire.

According to the Toda Municipal Board of Education, students at 18 elementary and junior high schools in the city temporarily remained inside their school buildings, and teachers led them out of the facilities after 4 pm. Warabi also took measures such as group evacuations from elementary and junior high schools, as per The Japab

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had dispatched a specialized unit that handles hostage situations and incidents involving kidnappings for ransom, according to the broadcaster. The unit is called "SIT," which stands for Special Investigation Teams.

Initial reports described someone firing a gun at Toda Chuo General Hospital at around 1 pm. An employee from the hospital's general division said it sounded like a shot was fired from outside toward the hospital building.

Japan has been lauded as one of the safest countries in the world due to stringent gun control laws. The law fundamentally bans citizens from possessing, carrying, or buying and selling firearms. Importing gun parts is also illegal unless the person has a gun license.

In the past decade or so, cases involving shootings have hovered between ten to 50 incidents annually. Most of these have been linked to organized crime groups, as per The Japan Times.

In 2021, the police agency's most recent data showed that there were 177,719 licensed firearms, primarily for hunting purposes.

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