Japan was in shock on Monday after gunmen in the northern prefecture of Akita killed four people and injured a number of others in what is believed to be Japan’s worst mass shooting in decades.
The attack occurred at around noon in a mountainous area near the city of Oga, about 290 kilometres (180 miles) north of Tokyo. Witnesses told local media that two men wearing dark clothing entered a family home and opened fire with guns and knives.
Four family members were killed, including the father, and at least four other people were injured in the attack, including an 11-year-old girl who was seriously wounded.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the attack as “heinous” and pledged that the government would do all it could to bring the perpetrators to justice. He also expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.
The police have yet to identify the suspects, but a spokesman said the attack “appears to have been planned in advance”. He added that they were “working on the theory that it was a case of personal revenge”.