Asia-Pacific

2 dead, 2 hurt after bar shooting spree in Japan

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-12 22:47
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TOKYO: A gun-wielding man opened fire at a bar in western Japan on Tuesday, leaving one person dead and two others seriously wounded before killing himself after the attack.

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One of the three victims - a man in his 20s - died while the other two remained in critical condition at a hospital, police official Mitsuyuki Oda said.

The man turned the gun on himself after shooting the three people, including an elderly woman, at the bar in Habikino City in Osaka prefecture, Oda said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Oda said police were investigating the gunman's motive. He said it was not known if he was linked to any gangster groups.

Guns are strictly controlled in Japan and shootings are rare. When such attacks do occur, they are often linked to gangsters known as yakuza.