Police shooting of knife-wielding suspect in Kumamoto convenience store

In late July 2024, police officers responding to a robbery at a convenience store in Gosh City, Kumamoto Prefecture, shot a 21‑year‑old suspect who brandished a kitchen knife. The suspect had threatened the clerk, seized about ¥30,000, and refused repeated commands to drop the weapon. Officers fired three rounds, striking the man's right shoulder and leg; he was arrested on the scene and transported to hospital with non‑life‑threatening injuries.

The Kumamoto police department has opened an internal review to determine whether the use of a firearm was appropriate under Japanese police‑use‑of‑force guidelines. The incident adds to a series of recent police shootings in Japan, including cases in Hokkaido and Kanagawa where officers also discharged firearms in response to armed threats.