Hunter commits suicide after accidentally shooting friend

Hunters 0, wild boar 2

Another only in Japan saga. Why is suicide such an easy thing to contemplate in this country?

...when one marksman (?!?!?) mistakenly shot his friend.

Marsmen take their time when aiming. Sounds weird to me. Inushishi must have been happy/

heard gunshots but found Nakashima with a gunshot wound to the chest? doesn't make sense.

I had no clue there was hunting in Japan with such tight control gun laws. No clue- Japan even had wild boars. Old buddies out on a Sunday for a laugh, a hunt and two end up dead with the others in grief--family too. Tragedy.

Was it really an accident or a carefully executed murder/suicide plot? (no pun intended)

Another only in Japan saga. Why is suicide such an easy thing to contemplate in this country?

The hunter killed himself to avoid the stigma and shame of killing a friend. Also, the cops would have arested him and investigated him and held him for murder....and that hunter knew that. Tragic story for sure.

The cops would have definitely not have taken the "it was an accident" explanantion and would have twisted the facts to fit the cops expectations of murder...thats the j-cops way.

I had no clue there was hunting in Japan with such tight control gun laws. No clue- Japan even had wild boars.

There are 300,000 registered rifles and shotguns in the hands of civilians in Japan. Without those, the boar and deer populations (already a problem) would skyrocket as those animals have no natural predators left.

prinzjay

The cops would have definitely not have taken the "it was an accident" explanantion and would have twisted the facts to fit the cops expectations of murder...thats the j-cops way.

In this case they would have been completely right and no twisting would have been required. If you shoot a gun then you're responsible for where the bullet goes. Given that a bullet travels around 900m/s it's hard to claim that someone leapt in front of the bullet, and any hunter who's doesn't insist their buddies wear bright clothing is likewise responsible for the inevitable outcome.

I'm sorry this incident happened, and it may have been a legitimate accident, but I think that the hunter was right to expect to be convicted of murder. It could simple have been grief over killing his friend though.

You sure knowitall buddy. Thx for the nice comment. I was talking about hunting not how many guns are in Japan mate.

Wow, I no clue there were people so ignorant.

Do you actually think before you write about strangers?

As a hunter in Japan I am often invited to join guys on group hunts, usually for boar. I always decline the offers because these kinds of accidental shootings are all too common. I much prefer to go by myself. That way, the only person I have to worry about is me! Some of the things I see other hunters do is quite frankly shocking....basic gun safety, not to mention the law, is often neglected.

heard gunshots but found Nakashima with a gunshot wound to the chest? doesn't make sense

BryanBurger - I can't for the life of me see whats so hard to understand about this scenario. Do you believe guns become silent in a suicide?

This story is greatly lacking details and begs many questions. Were the hunters wearing camouflage or appropriate bright colored vests? How many cans of beer or chu-hi did each drink in the previous 4 hours? Why would he just shoot? Did he think there was a boar, or was he just trigger happy? WHy would his friends allow him to go alone back down the hill? Was there no cell phone reception in the area to call immediately? Are these good friends? Was there some dispute going on(money,etc)?

So many Matlock Jrs on JT this morning!

heard gunshots but found Nakashima with a gunshot wound to the chest? doesn't make sense

BryanBurger - I can't for the life of me see whats so hard to understand about this scenario. Do you believe guns become silent in a suicide?

Surely in a suicide you'd expect to hear only one gunshot? Or was the intrepid hunter who killed his buddy such a lousy shot that he needed multiple shots to hit himself? Or it could just be sloppy translation.

And I second what cracaphat said.

@Frungy

I'm sorry this incident happened, and it may have been a legitimate accident, but I think that the hunter was right to expect to be convicted of murder.

If it was a legitimate accident, then it obviously wasn't murder.

There are plenty of natural predators like bear, which are always coming into populated areas due to lack of food. Maybe the problem is that they don't live in the same locations.

I'd like to know how you commit suicide with a rifle in the field, though, without long arms.

Even if they thought they heard 'gunshots', a single shot could have echoed.

Gunshots?

Shot in the chest as a suicide?

If I wanted to off myself with a shotgun/rifle, I'd definitely NOT choose to shoot myself in the chest! And logically, wouldn't it be much easier to aim for the head than the chest?

Hoserfella, I'll explain what I mean a little better for you. Gunshots --plurial? How does one fire more than one shot if they are killing themselves? Assuming the first one missed and he only wounded himself and was still able to fire a second shot but not likely. A point blank range shot with a rifle is enough to cause serious harm and thus preventing a second attempt. So why were there multiple shots? For those who think it was echo you obviously haven't been around guns enough to know what they truly sound like. Secondly, why aim for the chest? The head is a much easier point to aim for and more deadly. Also, reaching the trigger with a gun 180 degrees the wrong way is damn hard to do with a rifle especially if the barrel is long. The only explanation for this is he used a toe while sitting down, which begs the same question...why more than one shot?

I'm surprised the story doesn't say he shot himself in the back.

Totally agree, BryanBurger.

Grow up in rural Australia and was taught to shoot (rabbits, pigs, etc) before the age of 10. I was also taught a lot about gun discipline. Later joined the army where I was taught a lot more about gun (and weapons) discipline. That being said, however, it never ceases to amaze me how lax recreational hunters can be in the handling of weapons. This is not just the case in Japan. Having half a dozen clowns out shooting pigs is a recipe for disaster. The duck shooting season also usually ends with a fair body count of humans. Indeed, I would be all in favor of a ban on hunting for people who were not directly tied to the land.

The Yomiurin and Asahi articles have "jusei" (lit "the voice of a gun") for "gunshots," which is surely a mistranslation in this context, moderator?

Nakashima was using a shotgun and shot his friend, Miyake, who was using a rifle in the head. I have no idea why Mr. Nakashima shot himself in the chest but he did so after reporting the incident to his relative, who then phoned the police. The group were very experienced. The hunting club kills 2500 boar a year.

But given that the witnesses were speaking Japanese, which doesn't usually have a plural form, maybe it's just somebody being a bit careless with the translation.

The hunter killed himself to avoid being arrested, interrogated and forced to admit to murder. It was an accident, but the J-cops will set it up and twist the facts and label it as a murder....so the local cops can get a bonus or promotion for successful investigation of a murder. Sad...real..sad.

prinzjay, I think you said that already. T

prinzjay, I think you said that already. T

Ooops..yes I did! Hahaha

Some of the things I see other hunters do is quite frankly shocking....basic gun safety, not to mention the law, is often neglected.

Agree...I was camping once with a group of friends at certified camp ground in Izu last year, and this hunter appears out of nowhere around noon and looks at some old deer tracks in sand next to the creek and starts shooting down stream! We were sitting 4 meters away cooking fish! If someone had been down stream they would have been shot! There were signs everywhere that said "No Hunting"!! We shouted at him to X-off...but he just glared at us and went down stream to blast trees and shadows. If there were any deer in the area, we ran them off hours before.

Very Scary.

my2sense...yes there is indeed hunting in Japan. Actually, due to the strict gun laws, hunters are among the very few permitted to have guns here. And even then, they are usually rifles only. They have to go through a LOT to be permitted to have a firearm, and have to renew that license every few years, going through all the courses and testing again each time. (If memory serves...had to do research on gun control in Japan a few years ago).

As for wild boar in Japan...you just gave yourself away as either not living here or as not having been here very long. It is very well known that inoshishi are around and abundant...and occasionally you will hear a news report of one that wandered down out of the mountains, attacking and injuring people in more urban/suburban areas in its confusion and panick.

Anyway, as for the point in the article above where they say they heard gunshots...perhaps was a bad translation. Can't imagine the guy being able to shoot himself more than once (if he hadn't offed himself with the first shot). And if shooting his friend was truly accidental, he probably killed himself out of shame and to atone for what he did. If it was murder, well, if he was cowardly enough to kill another, then he was obviously too cowardly to stay around and face the consequences.

My heart goes out to the families of both hunters.

Boar, Bear and a few other critters are also quiet commonly found as meals in japan.

Usually more in the northern regions but you can also get those in Tokyo, etc.

Same here condolences to both families.

Hunting season in Japan is basically from November to March. These guys, if hunting legally, must have been hunting under a special licence issued only for 'pest extermination'. This is very hard to get! I know only a couple of hunters with such a licence in my prefecture. Sounds a bit fishy to me....boar hunting in June.....

Quote BryanBurger: For those who think it was echo you obviously haven't been around guns enough to know what they truly sound like.

Ah so desu ka?

Many thanks for the hunting and wild pig facts in Japan. Should come in handy and quite ashamed I didn't know. Will stick to current employment and the city. College is overrated.

Well, fortunately no crime was committed.

Sad, but done and dusted.

Hunters kill other hunters as often as they kill the animals they are hunting.

Wow. The press is not telling us the facts then! There should be dozens of hunter kills hunter articles every day. By the way, they had permits. Other sources (which also don't report the dozens of deaths a day) say they were on a specially sanctioned hunt.

Very sad. Of course accidents do happen, but in a country where guns are rare, I wonder how experienced the hunters were at using them. Not very, I suspect.

Am I the only one who thinks this whole scenario might have been cooked up by the other hunters who claim to be witnesses? Someone might have exclaimed that those two "bores" were straight ahead and the rest opened fire!

Number one rule in hunting: See your target before pulling the trigger.

Number two rule in hunting: See Rule number one.

Number three rule in hunting: Pay attention to what's beyond your target (in case you miss).

If all hunters followed these rules, the number of "accidents" would drop considerably.

MistWizard, this article is in the National section, so end of argument! Fadamor, maybe his friend was wearing a bear suit just for a laugh.

Wonder how he shot himself in the chest with a shotgun.

Does anyone know if wearing blaze orange is a requirement for boar hunting in Japan?

My hunting club gives me a free blaze orange vest every year. Not sure if it is actually illegal not to wear it though.

my2sense...hahahaa!! Loved your response! :-) Seriously, you would actually have to be living in a vacuum to not know that boars are common in Japan and that they are not always far away from cities. And actually, the research I did re guns here had nothing to do with college (if only I were that age again!); had to do it for my job. That being said, most Japanese have no clue about guns in their own country. And despite all that rigorous testing and regulations about having one, it looks like actual skill or proper precautions when out hunting are not deemed important enough.

Still sounds like a fishy story though.

This is so sad indeed. RIP 2 dead hunters.

It is very hard to get a gun licence here. And hard to get a hunting licence. It is all theory based. Typical Japanese way. No focus on practicality at all.

DXXJP said: Wonder how he shot himself in the chest with a shotgun.

Or a rifle. Either way its a darn sight easier to shoot yourself in the head. Its all pretty fishy.

So many experts, so little sense...

Inoshishi-nabe is not bad, would not go out of my way for it though.

Rigorous testing to get a hunting license seems about as effective as rigorous testing for getting a driving license.

Actually Satoshi Miyake is an good old Friend of our family here in Cavite Philippines. If I'm going to describe him he's a good person with a good heart, he's a friend, a brother and even a father to us. Miyake San thanks for all your advice. Farewell, rest in peace and we love you, you will always stay here in our heart & we will never ever forget you - Abner Federipe

Last May 21 before Shatoshi went back to Japan. He told us that he will be joining a hunting team in japan. He also told us that he will be back July but he did not comeback because of the said accident. Yesterday Afterdays the Typhoon basyang hit Cavite and other provinces in our country(Philippines) a butterly(Paru-paro) colored with some orange & brown visited our home. The paru-paro flies over my Sister, Brother & my Mother suddenly the butterfly alighted on my sister's hand & walk up to his thigh. After that the buterfly goes to my mother's hand and also flies over on my brother. That same day also, I my arrive at exactly 6am on my work when I sit down on my chair I feel something that someone is trying to tell me to check the site "http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/hunter-commits-suicide-after-accidentally-shooting-friend" I remember that day Day July 17, 2010 that Satoshi Miyake told us that he will be back to visit us again. Only remind me that he's still taking care of us even he is gone, Checking if we are ok after the typhoon "Basyang".I will always remember the way you taught me to speak japanese and I still keep the Japanes book that you gave me. We really miss you so much Miyake san. We love you