Man Attempted Online Auction of Japanese War Rifle
A man in Hyogo Prefecture has been arrested for attempting to sell a World War II era Japanese Type 38 rifle on an auction site:
Iwasaki reportedly told police the gun originally belonged to his grandfather, who brought it back from the war.
The rifle appears to be the type widely used for training by the Imperial army at that time and is in good condition due to proper maintenance, according to police.
Iwasaki reportedly posted the weapon on the auction site in September, touting it as “the gun the Japanese Imperial Army used a half century ago.”
A man from Miyazaki Prefecture won the bidding at ¥150,000 but then decided not to receive the gun because he thought it might violate the Firearm and Sword Control Law.
Since most Imperial Japanese firearms were either voluntarily surrendered to / seized by occupation authorities at the end of the war, it’s quite rare to see old rifles turn up in the hands of normal citizens these days.
