HYOGO (TR) – Hyogo Prefectural Police on Tuesday announced the arrest of a male American tourist after he allegedly entered Japan with a firearm in his possession.
Police arrested Alan Randy Peterson, 73, for possessing a revolver at the Kobe Customs Port Terminal Inspection Room in Kobe City at around 5 p.m. on March 23, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 2).
Upon his arrest on suspicion of violating the Sword and Firearms Control Law, Peterson admitted to the allegations. “I accidentally put the gun in my luggage when traveling from the U.S. to Japan,” he told police.
On March 22, Peterson arrived at Kansai International Airport as tourist on a flight from Hawaii with a handgun and three bullets in a suitcase.
According to police, Peterson boarded a cruise ship at the Kobe Port terminal the following day. While aboard the ship, he reported to the ship’s staff that he had “accidentally brought a handgun from the U.S.”
After police received a report from a representative of the ship, they checked his suitcase and found the handgun in a cloth pouch.
Peterson also said that he “threw away” the bullets at the port terminal. Police later retrieved the three bullets from a toilet trash can.
Alan Randy Peterson arrived at Kansai International Airport with a gun and three bullets in his luggage on March 22 (X)
Handguns are completely prohibited in Japan
Gun ownership in Japan is highly restricted. Possession by civilians is permitted only for hunting and shooting sports and require extensive approval procedures. Handguns are completely prohibited.
Peterson arrived in Japan with his wife. They realized they were in possession of a handgun at a hotel in Osaka Prefecture the following morning.
“I was thinking about where to declare it, where it would be easier to explain in English,” Peterson said in choosing to travel to Kobe City from Osaka before divulging he was in possession of the gun.
AloJapan.com