Ex-SDF member shoots pet dog, then himself in Kitakyushu apartment

Names eliminated to protect the innocent?

I feel bad for the dog. Poor guy.

How tragic for the wife. A hunting rifle at close range to the head, I don't have to tell you what a mess that made. Earnest Hemmingway did that with a shotgun.

Two HUNDRED police officers? My goodness. How is that even possible.

"I've never heard of any trouble concerning him and he loved his dog," she said.

Sound pretty tragic, as if he wanted to end his life but couldn't bear the thought of leaving his best friend behind to fend for himself.

I meant to say traumatic for the wife

Two HUNDRED police officers? My goodness. How is that even possible.

When they had over 21,000 for Trump in Tokyo, it's not hard to imagine. When someone pulls a gun here cops come out of the woodwork from all over the place and deploy.

One hesitates to jump to conclusions but some key words in this article jump out:

Kitakyushu

a real estate company

a Self-Defense Forces member

distressed due to work-related concerns

making violent gestures

he was scary

Traumatic for the wife and sad for the dog. At least this man only shot himself.

why not give the dog another home before shooting yourself? You should have given your best friend a chance.

The fact that this man shot his dog before himself speaks volumes. Feel so sorry for this man (now deceased) as he must have been battling some horrible demons. I hope his soul finds peace.

"distressed due to work-related concerns" This may be original in Japan as a reason for suicide.

"distressed due to work-related concerns" This may be original in Japan as a reason for suicide.

Yeah probably not.

Sorry for the dog, the human had a choice. Tough on the wife, probably a sight she will be haunted by for the rest of her life.

A woman in her 50s who knew the man said he was "affable"

What does affable mean? I know I can google it but just use "friendly" or something.

Poor dog but probably he wanted to meet the dog in the hereafter. TokyoEngr is right, this is just a sad story all around.

Sound pretty tragic, as if he wanted to end his life but couldn't bear the thought of leaving his best friend behind to fend for himself.

He had a wife who I'm sure could have looked after the dog. I hope the dog didn't suffer. Sorry for the wife. I'm sure there is much more to this story that being told. Mental health issues get covered up pretty quickly here, more so for insurances purposes.

Two HUNDRED police officers? My goodness. How is that even possible.

considering the fact that it takes 8 police officers to confront someone who jaywalked, 200 for a gun seems reasonable.

Very sad.

(Maybe a translation mistake, or vagueness in the original, but this would have to be a shotgun that he had used for hunting and for clay pigeons, surely not a hunting rifle. In fact I'd lay good money on it.

Shouldn't of hurt the dog.

well at least in Japan when people want to turn off the light they do it privately instead of doing it in malls, churches, concerts, etc.

The guy worked for a real estate agent so why say the emphasis is on him being and ex SDF employee

Better that he shot the dog rather than the wife. Better still, that he only shot himself. Best, that he sought psychiatric treatment before shooting anything. RIP

Very sad. The world has lost too many people to suicide. This is an unusual case because a) he used a gun; and b) he killed the dog. Usually in a family suicide they kill the kids, out of fear that they will end up in care.

If his wife didn't like / want the dog, the dog would probably have been put down unless someone adopted it really quickly.

Again, this is very sad.

If the guy worked at the real estate agent, we was probably overworked and depressed and needed a way out. I say this is most likely death from overwork or Karoshi as it is known in Japanese.

Leave others alone if you MUST do the deed... including pets.

nandakandamanda wrote:

(Maybe a translation mistake, or vagueness in the original, but this would have to be a shotgun that he had used for hunting and for clay pigeons, surely not a hunting rifle. In fact I'd lay good money on it.

He could easily have owned both, and used the hunting rifle as described in the article. In Japan, once you have had a shotgun and license for 10 years you can apply for a hunting rifle (as in a centerfire rifle, not a .22 rimfire, because .22 are banned for hunting). I'm currently going through the process now to get a gun license for target shooting, so am familiar with the regulations. There is a handful of foreigners in Japan who have their hunting rifle license, but as you suggested, it is rare. Shotguns are more commonly owned due to the way the Japanese licensing system is set up. Apparently, the ten year limit to own a hunting rifle was put in place after a teenager shot a policeman with one of the two hunting rifles he was licensed to own.

This is the first time something has happened like this there. My kids go to school just down the street in Ano. Yahata nishi ku is not a bad place, somewhat rural Japan. But my X and my kids like most Japanese folks from Yahata are very kind. Terrible loss though. I feel for the wife and the K-9. She will most likely have to move from the area due to the hasugashi feeling. The neighbors are going to talk in a small town like this. There are so many complacent elderly in areas like this in Kyshu region where the children go off to Tokyo or bigger cities to find work. That is the real story. There is no work in Jinnoharu other than paper factory or Toto. Or the usual ALT placment.

the man's wife found her husband holding the rifle and the dog lying dead on the floor of their apartment. 

I know the police have got to treat gun relate crimes very seriously, but 200 cops? were they from the tactical dept? do all of these normal cops have hand guns, just in case? did the dog have a terminal illness and he could not live with out his best mate? either way its a sad end.*

He killed to dog so it wouldnt be a burden to anyone else, the same way mothers sometimes kill their children when they suicide. It is a cultural thing. As for the person that suicided being scary because he made angry gestures after having a quarrel? Thats coming from a young women and lets face it young Japanese women are scared of just about everything, compared to elderly women who go hiking in the mountains on their own without any fear whatsoever.

It's very sad to be old and lone

Wow. A few people are essentially saying they are glad he shot the dog first. Wonder what they would have said if it were his son or wife. The dog has a choice too.

poor dog RIP

If it was a shotgun, and the J press did say 'some kind of gun used for shooting birds and animals' (Ryoju no yo na mono) 猟銃のようなもの, then two cartridges, one barrel each for his dog and for himself? The end.

The guy had a violent streak, according to some of the neighbours, so who knows? Maybe he thought that no-one would look after his Dachshund (according to one report) after he was gone.