The Major Incident that Shook Japan in 23 Years: The Surprising Extension of Two Months of Experimental Detention for the Perpetrator in the Case of the Deaths and Injuries of Three Self-Defense Forces Personnel.

Three Self-Defense Forces personnel were killed or wounded on June 14.
Severe shortage of applicants affected! Mental evaluation of the suspect was extended.

On June 14, 2011, an 18-year old Self-Defense Force cadet fired a rifle during target practice at the Hino Basic Firing Range of the Ground Self-Defense Force in Gifu City, killing two and seriously wounding one.

The former cadet told the police, “I wanted to keep the gun and ammunition for myself. He stated that he “wanted to keep the gun and ammunition for himself and shot people who got in the way in order to take the ammunition,” but denied intent to kill the victims.

The Gifu District Public Prosecutor’s Office conducted a psychiatric evaluation by an expert until late November in order to examine the former cadet’s capacity for criminal responsibility. The appraisal detention was extended for another two months. Mr. Shigenori Terui, a former Japan Ground Self-Defense Force officer who was in charge of training and ammunition management, analyzed the situation as follows.

I think the reason for extending the period is to postpone the first trial as long as possible. Recently, the number of applicants for the SDF has been decreasing significantly, and the number of SDF cadets with fixed terms of service for recruitment in FY 2010 was less than half of the planned number. The recruitment deadline for SDF recruits is usually in early spring, and we don’t want the results of the trial in the case to come out before then.”

As conflicts continue in Ukraine and other parts of the world, the days continue to be a headache for the Ministry of Defense, which wants to secure SDF officers.

From the January 5 and 12, 2024 issue of FRIDAY