Japan's reputation as a country relatively free of gun crime is borne out by official statistics. In terms of individuals charged with crimes committed using firearms, the 2018 white paper issued by the National Police Agency listed eight homicides in 2017 — all of which involved members of crime syndicates — and five armed robberies (of which two involved gang members).
The last year in which the number of homicides by firearms exceeded a single digit was 2014 (with 13 incidents).
Apart from crime involving guns, the white paper reported 13 fatalities in 2017, of which 11 were believed to have been suicides.