A Chinese-manufactured toy gun has been found to have the capability to shoot real bullets, with approximately 16,000 of them currently circulating in the Japanese market. Japanese authorities are urgently recalling these toy guns and investigating whether illegal groups are involved.
According to reports from Asahi Shimbun and Nikkei News on July 18th, the Japanese National Police Agency stated that in May of this year, during a search of a residence in Hyogo Prefecture related to another case, they discovered a “toy” gun.
The toy gun is labeled as being suitable for individuals aged 12 and above, and comes with 8 plastic bullets. However, upon examination by the police, it was found that this particular toy gun has the ability to shoot real bullets.
Investigations revealed that a Japanese company had imported 15,800 units of this toy gun as prizes for claw crane arcade games. Starting from December last year, they distributed them to 78 retailers across 31 prefectures. As of July 16, around 450 units have been recalled, while the rest are still in circulation in the market.
Authorities have warned that possessing these toy guns violates the Firearms and Swords Control Law. The National Police Agency has released images of these toy guns on their official website, urging the public to promptly hand over any such items to local law enforcement if they possess them.
Furthermore, police have identified 16 similar toy models online, all of which are Chinese-made. Authorities are actively investigating whether this involves weapons smuggling.