Despite Japan’s strict gun laws, shooters deliver impressive Asian Games haul

There’s no distinction made between air guns used in the 10m rifle events or guns that fire explosive rounds like those used in the 50m event. Licenses are long, arduous and require applicants to clear multiple police verifications, get neighbours to vouch for character, written exams and psychological tests. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Kim Woo Young was left dealing with a very unique problem when he first arrived in Japan following the Tokyo Summer Games five years ago, to begin working as coach of the country’s Olympic rifle shooting program.

“Although I was supposed to coach the shooters, I wasn’t allowed to touch any of their guns,” he recalls. It might seem strange but it was the law.

“The rules are very clear. If you don’t have a Japanese instructors license, then even a coach can’t touch guns that belonged to someone else,” recalls women’s rifle shooter Taichi Hinata, one of the first athletes he trained.

The only way Young, former national coach in South Korea could explain technique to his shooters was through words and gestures. “I could talk to them and I could show them what I needed them to do with pictures. It was very unusual but that is the law,” Young recalls.

Young would eventually have to study for 10 months to get a Japanese instructors license before he was allowed to handle his students shooting instruments. “I remember thinking it would be easier to simply take shooters and coach them outside Japan. It was very frustrating.” he recalls.

ALSO READ | Day 4: Indian results on September 22 — How many medals did India win?

Young wasn’t having any trouble as he sat in the coaches chair behind his athletes at the Asian Games, though. Coming off a blank in Hangzhou in 2023, Japan’s already had one of their best ever performance in shooting events at the Asian Games in recent years.

On the opening day of competition, Taichi Hinata stunned Olympic champion Ban Hyojin of Korea, India’s Elavenil Valarivan and China’s triple gold medallist at last years World Championships Wang Zifei in the women’s 10m air rifle final. Hinata also partnered with Misaki Nobata and Shiori Hirata to take team bronze, ahead of South Korea’s vaunted women’s team on the opening day.

Then on Tuesday, Nobata partnering Naoki Hanakawa denied India a place on the podium, taking bronze in the 10m air rifle mixed team events. At the end of the rifle events, Japan has three medals – one of each kind – while Hinata’s gold is only the second in shooting since 2010 (the other came in the women’s trap). Currently Japan are only second to heavyweights China on the shooting medal tally.

It’s a performance that’s all the more impressive when you consider the hoops Japanese shooters and coaches have to jump through in their sport. Young’s journey to put his hands on his student’s air guns isn’t even that extreme, for Japanese gun laws are some of the strictest in the world and sporting instruments even for air guns are highly regulated.

There’s no distinction made between air guns used in the 10m rifle events or guns that fire explosive rounds like those used in the 50m event. Licenses are long, arduous and require applicants to clear multiple police verifications, get neighbours to vouch for character, written exams and psychological tests. Pistol licenses are capped at a number nationwide, junior shooters aren’t even allowed to own their own air guns and fire lasers at targets rather than pellets while the decision even to replace a gun requires months of paperwork.

There are hoops to be cleared that seem designed to dissuade all but the most determined.

ALSO READ | Mohammed Afsal: From 3am newspaper van rides to India’s 800m national record

“It’s very hard to be a sports shooter in Japan,” admits Nobata. “First of all, competitive shooting is a very niche sport in Japan, so most young people don’t even know about it. Because of this, the participant base is very small. Also the age at which people start tends to be higher. Due to licensing regulations, you can only own an air rifle yourself from age 18, and the same applies to small-bore rifles—you can’t possess one unless you’re 18 or older. So, the fact that the starting point is delayed creates a significant hurdle,” she says.

While there are shooting clubs around the country, they don’t train with the air guns of the sort that can be found across ranges in India. “We have shooting clubs in Japan but if you are under 18 years old, you aren’t even allowed to touch a gun. You can’t fire pellets out of an air gun. You train on laser simulators,” says Naoya Okada who competed in the men’s team and individual event.

Pistol licenses are capped at a number nationwide, junior shooters aren’t even allowed to own their own air guns and fire lasers at targets rather than pellets while the decision even to replace a gun requires months of paperwork. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

When shooters turn of legal age and want to buy their own gun, they need to purchase it from specific stores only after getting a police license for that specific weapon. But first they need to clear a written exam and extensive police verification that lasts months.

“In the test, you have to be able to have to identify the various parts of the gun, you need to know what’s the weight of the trigger and other very minute details. But the test was also created at a time when it was thought that most guns were going to be bought for hunting purposes so you also have to answer questions on where to fire the gun. Later you have to appear before the police three times and you also need to get your neighbours to vouch for your character,” says Hiroka Monagan, a former national level shooter who is involved in press operations at the Aichi Prefecture shooting range where the shooting events of the Asian Games are being held.

If the licenses for rifle shooters are hard, they can get almost prohibitive for pistol shooters since that weapon has an unfortunate reputation with crime.

“There is a limit on the total number of pistol licenses available at any one time. The only time you can get a pistol license is if someone who already had it gives it up. The gun license rules are strict and they get stricter depending on which prefecture you are getting your license in. The rules in Osaka are particularly strict because there is a history of Yakuza (Japanese organised crime) over there. But it is very strict everywhere in Japan,” says an official who didn’t want to be named since he wasn’t authorised to speak to the media.

And while shooters elsewhere – as was the case with India’s Vidarsa Vinod - can simply swap weapons if they need to, that’s a lot harder in Japan. “Your gun license is specific to your gun. So if you want to use another weapon, you need to go through the procedure for another license for that once again,” says Hiroka.

Then there is the problem of finding a place to train. “We only have one shooting range for each prefecture. So if you don’t live nearby, it’s hard to train,” says Naoya.

ALSO READ | From 1951 to 2026: A brief history of the Asian Games

Indeed most shooters don’t train nearly as much as their international counterparts. “I think it’s very difficult for most shooters to train at a range for more than two days a week. For the rest of the time they have to do dry firing or practise with a gun that fires a laser,” says coach Young.

When informed that many Indian shooters have constructed impromptu ranges in their homes, there’s a sense of disbelief.

“Indian shooters have ranges inside their home? I don’t think you could do that in Japan,” says Japanese men’s shooter Naoki Okada. While the specifics aren’t always known, Japanese shooters are conscious they are at a disadvantage when it comes to simply practising their sport. It takes some getting used to. “I know India, for instance, has a huge number of people participating in the sport. Just like that, I used to feel intimidated when looking at the shooting scene overseas. I was surprised by how easy it was to be a competitive shooter out of Japan. but now I feel confident that I can compete at that level and count myself among the top athletes,” says Nobata.

Even with multiple medals including gold at the Asian Games, shooters like Nobata and Taichi don’t expect much to change with the sport in Japan. “I think it will get a little more popular on instagram or social media but it will still be a niche sport,” Taichi says.

But despite the challenges, the sport will continue to have takers in the country. “Compared to other sports, physical attributes like height or build don’t give you a massive advantage or disadvantage. I find it really appealing that we can compete on a level playing field right from the start. It’s hard to get a gun but what really matters is the person behind the gun,” says Nobata