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Deadly shooting at Japan army base

Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force personnel at a newly-opened garrison on Ishigaki island in Okinawa prefecture, southern Japan on March 16, 2023. (Photo/Kyodo News/Getty Images)

One person has been killed and two others wounded in a shooting at an army training range in Japan, local media said.

Broadcaster NHK and Jiji Press agency both reported the death, which came after the government confirmed three members of the Self-Defence Forces had been wounded and a person was in custody over Wednesday's incident.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroakazu Matsuno told reporters that the shooting occurred at a firing range at a base in Gifu prefecture in central Japan.

NHK public television, quoting investigative officials, said the suspect is a teenage male.

No other details, including a possible motive, were immediately available.

A spokeswoman for the Self-Defence Forces in Tokyo could not immediately confirm the incident.

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.

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Source: TRT

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