TOKYO (Reuters) -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 at least one fatality, local media reported.
An 18-year-old SDF member injured three other personnel with automatic weapon fire, killing one, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the defence ministry. Another report by NTV said two of the victims were without vital signs.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the incident happened at about 9 a.m. 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.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim, Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry)