TOKYO: A panel appointed by Japan’s National Police Agency, in a report compiled Thursday, sought the introduction of a permit system for the possession of crossbows in the country to prevent crimes involving the weapon.

As crossbows are not regulated under Japan’s swords and firearms control act, the panel underlined the need to implement effective measures against their misuse. The NPA plans proceed with the work to revise the law.

The report stated that crossbows have the power to put people’s lives in danger. Those willing to possess crossbows should seek permission by local public safety commissions and should use them for limited purposes, such as for animal anesthesia, academic research and sports, the report said.

The NPA set up the panel for discussing crossbow regulations after four people were killed or injured in a crossbow attack in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, in June.

The panel said in the report that causes for ownership disqualification should be stipulated to prevent the misuse of crossbows. For air guns, for example, 18 causes for ownership disqualification are stipulated, including a case in which a certain period has not passed since a specified criminal act was committed.

According to an NPA survey, of the 23 police-detected incidents involving the use of crossbows between January 2010 and June this year, cases in which suspects fell under such disqualification or similar causes accounted for 65 percent.

The report said crossbow distributors in Japan should be registered with public safety commissions and those buying crossbows should be required to present their possession permits. It also said online sales of crossbows should be regulated in ways similar to hunting guns and air guns, which require delivery staff to check the buyers’ identification, for example.

Although the exact trading volume of crossbows in Japan is unknown, there are distributors that sold over 1,000 units a year, according to the NPA. The panel report said the current crossbow owners should also be subject to regulations after a certain transition period.

JIJI Press