The murder that shocked the world: Peaceful Japan, that's what the country has to own weapons

Japan has zero tolerance of gun ownership and is one of the world's lowest rate of gun attacks.

Thus, the attack that left former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dead marks an extraordinary act of violence, writes The Guardian, translates Periscope.

A 1958 law on possession of cold weapons and firearms says: “No one should possess a firearm or a cold” weapon.

In Japan, 13 steps are needed to gain possession of the weapon. First, potential gun owners must join a team of hunters or hunters, then they must undergo training and a written exam before being declared by doctors to be mentally ready and have no history of drug addiction.

They then have to apply to get a whole day training on how to get a gun and how to save it.

Police then interview potential gun owners about why they want a firearm and they conduct a detailed history check, including interviewing members of the person's family, their relationship with neighbours, employment history and their financial status.

If they pass these checks, these people can apply for a gun permit gunpowder from a salesman about what weapons they want. They then have to buy an ammunition and weapons guard, which is being inspected by the police, who also do a history surveillance.

Even then, prospective owners need to attend classes and must pass practical and written exams. They then must submit to a psychological assessment to determine if they are willing to own a weapon. Police checks are exhausting and even included questioning of gun owner relatives.

Civil arming of handguns is forbidden. The few cases of media-reported violence usually include members of the group for crimes -- a type of mafia. According to police, there were 21 arrests for the use of weapons in 2020, with 12 of them linked to criminal groups, Nikkei Asia reported.

In 2014 only 6 cases of homicide were reported, according to the National Police Agency, and this figure rarely exceeds the number 10, in a country of 126 million people. In 2006, only two people were killed after the shooting.

A 2022 report by the University of Washington revealed that while the United States had well over four cases of shooting for 100,000 inhabitants in 2019, Japan had almost zero cases. Compared to the World Bank's large incomes with the rate of firearms killings of 100,000 people, the United States had 4.2 cases, Australia 0.18 and Japan 0.02, the report said.

In 2013, the country reached a record level of armed crime -- with 40 cases of crime being shot, but this trajectory has seen a decline since then- in 2020, there have been 21 arrests due to the use of weapons, with 12 of them linked to criminal groups, reports Nikkei Asia.

There are also strict laws on how many arms stores can be opened -- in most of the country's 47 perfects, in total three arms stores can operate in any perfect. /Periscopi/