U.S. tourist arrested after bringing gun into Japan

TOKYO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese police have arrested a tourist from the United States after he reported that he had accidentally brought a handgun into the country, local media said Wednesday.

The 73-year-old man entered Japan through Kansai Airport in the western Japanese city of Osaka on March 22 after departing the U.S. state of Hawaii and told cruise ship staff that he had a gun in his baggage after boarding a vessel at Kobe Port on March 23, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The police arrested the tourist after finding a revolver in his suitcase, citing violation of Japan's firearms control law, the report said.

According to the police, the man told investigators that the gun was for self-defense and he had packed it into his suitcase by mistake and he realized it while staying at a hotel in Osaka.

The man also explained that he threw away bullets at a Kobe Port terminal because he thought possessing both a gun and ammunition would lead to more serious charges, the report said.

The police said three bullets were found in a trash can in a restroom at the terminal.

The police believe the man passed through security checks at both the Hawaiian airport and Kansai Airport with the handgun in his suitcase.