An armed member of the Ground Self-Defense Force went missing Tuesday night while participating in a drill at an exercise area in Sapporo, prompting police to notify local education authorities to keep their students safe and be on the alert.
After the leading private in his 20s was separated from other members at around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, the GSDF suspended the drill to conduct a search. He was found at around 11:25 a.m. Wednesday roughly 2 kilometers away from the exercise area.
He was carrying a gun but was not equipped with live rounds of ammunition.
After being notified of the case by Hokkaido police on Wednesday morning, the Hokkaido and Sapporo boards of education urged all local schools to lock down and be on the lookout for anyone acting suspiciously.
According to the GSDF Northern Army, the exhausted member said he lost his way.
This latest incident comes in the wake of a shooting on June 14 in which a GSDF recruit killed two of his superiors and injured another at a firing range in Gifu Prefecture.
A day after the shooting, the recruit was referred to prosecutors on a charge of murder over the death of one of the trainers.