{
  "id": 11124555,
  "title": "Shootings in Kobe leave one dead and one injured",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/shootings-in-kobe-leave-one-dead-and-one-injured",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T06:12:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/01/japan/crime-legal/kobe-shootings/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Two separate shootings in Kobe on Wednesday resulted in one death and one injury, marking a rare occurrence of gun violence in Japan, which is generally a very safe country. The fatal shooting took place in Kobe's Chuo Ward, where 58-year-old Masayuki Akada, a company executive, was found collapsed and bleeding after a 1:15 p.m. call to police. He was promptly taken to the hospital, but sadly, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Just a few minutes later, another man, 79-year-old Naoto Kametani, was shot in Kobe's Hyogo Ward, though his injuries were non-life-threatening. Kametani, who is suspected of attempted murder, was apprehended later that day. He reportedly admitted to the charges, confirming to the Hyogo Prefectural Police that there was \"no mistake\" about their suspicions. Kametani, a former yakuza member, is suspected of shooting a 54-year-old man in the abdomen while the victim was in a parked car in a residential area. Police are still investigating whether Kametani was also connected to the fatal shooting in Chuo Ward. Shootings, particularly fatal ones, are extremely uncommon in Japan. According to the Hyogo Prefectural Police, there were no incidents involving firearms discharging in 2024 and 2025 within the prefecture. Nationally, there was only one such incident last year, a significant decrease from 31 combined incidents between 2021 and 2024. Most of the few shooting cases and deaths have been linked to gang-related activities, with seven out of 15 shooting deaths between 2021 and 2025 involving gangs.",
  "summary": "Hyogo Prefectural Police have arrested a former yakuza member for one of the shootings and are investigating his possible involvement in the other.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}