Japan: Gun-Free Zone -- With Plenty of Guns

[swdr]

--> Illegal guns flourish, say befuddled police

Two fatal street shootings by gangsters within a week--one in Nagasaki and the other in the Tokyo area--have shattered the illusion that Japan is a country largely free of gun-related crime.

One estimate says there are 50,000 illegal guns in Japan.

The problem, police say, is that it is getting harder to know where to find the weapons.

Almost all are believed to be in the possession of crime syndicates, which have smuggled them from abroad in violation of the gun-control law.

Although police continue their attempts to crack down on illegal firearms, the number they confiscate has fallen markedly in recent years.

In 2006, police seized just 458 guns. In 1995, they recovered 1,880--nearly four times as many.

Officials at the National Police Agency say it is getting tougher for police to gather intelligence on illegal guns because many gangs are strictly prohibiting their members from talking with investigators. [...]

An apartment in Tokyo has turned into an "armory" for an organized crime group, according to sources close to the organization. One gangster, who has visited the apartment, says, "It looks like a regular one-room apartment at first glance, but when I opened a door that was structurally altered, I found a concealed door behind which dozens of pistols and some machine guns were stored."

While police are finding fewer illegal guns, members of gangs say that the demand for them is growing.

"We are seeing an increase in the demand for guns and are prepared to supply," says a senior member of a gang in the Kansai region with a chuckle. [...]