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American senior citizen tourist arrested in Japan for bringing gun into country in his luggage

Casey Baseel Apr 3, 2025
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At his age, he really ought to have known better.

There are a number of things you’ll want to make sure to bring with you when travelling to Japan. Obviously you’ll need your passport. A small, collapsible umbrella will probably come in handy, since it can rain at pretty much any time of year here. Oh, and a hand towel is good to have too, since a lot of public restrooms in Japan have neither paper towels nor air dryers for after you wash your hands.

On the other hand, it’s much less advisable to have a handgun in your luggage for your Japan trip. This fine point of packing, however, slipped through the pre-departure preparations of a 73-year-old tourist from the U.S. who arrived in Japan on March 22, having flown from Hawaii to Kansai International Airport in Osaka.

The man, who was travelling with his 80-something wife, actually managed to clear customs with no problems, with officials not detecting the weapon. It wasn’t until the couple arrived at their hotel in the town of Izumisano that the man noticed that he had a pouch inside his suitcase that contained a revolver and ammunition for it.

The couple was scheduled to board a cruise ship in Kobe the next day, and the man waited until they reached the boat to inform the staff that he’d inadvertently brought a gun into the country, later explaining that he avoided going to the police directly as he thought the cruise company personal would be better able to communicate in English. The cruise company in turn contacted the police, who conducted a search of the port’s passenger terminal and found three bullets in a restroom trash can. The man admitted that he had disposed of them there, saying that he thought he would face more severe penalties for being in possession of both a firearm and ammunition.

The man was officially placed under arrest the following day, March 24, on suspicion of violating Japan’s Firearm and Sword Control Law. During questioning he said that he has the gun for self-defense, apparently leaving it packed in his suitcase to take with him when traveling, and neglected to remove the weapon before his flight to Japan. This sort of pre-packing, though, is inadvisable for anyone who’s thinking of traveling internationally. Gun control laws vary vastly by country and you can’t always count on the airport/airline staff at your departure point to catch your mistakes, as evidenced by a comment regarding the man’s case from a public relations representative at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, where he’d departed from. “As long as a firearm [in a passenger’s luggage] is properly packed,” said the representative, “we do not take any special countermeasures, even if their destination is a country where possession of firearms is illegal.” In other words, it’s quite possible that your departure airport will waive you on through with things in your bag that, simply by possessing them, mean you’ll be breaking the law the moment you grab you arrive in Japan.

▼ By extension, this is also why you shouldn’t pre-pack swords in your suitcase, and also part of the reason why wandering samurai accrue so few frequent flyer miles.

The Hyogo Prefectural Police referred the man’s case to the prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, which was also their first formal public announcement of the man’s arrest. On Thursday, the prosecutor’s office declared that they will not be pressing charges, without giving a reason as to why that decision was reached. Most likely the leniency is a product of the man coming forward and admitting what he’d done (his attempt to secretly dispose of the bullets notwithstanding), but it’s still worth noting that for nearly a week and a half he was under arrest with some very serious charges hanging over his head, so remember not only to pack the things you’ll want to have with you on your Japan trip, but also to unpack anything you shouldn’t.

Source: Kobe Shimbun Next via Itai News, FNN Prime Online, Asahi Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso
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