TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested an American woman after she dumped 100 rounds of ammunition in a trash can at Haneda Airport upon arrival on Tuesday, reports NHK (July 5).
At around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 100 rounds of live ammunition for a 22-caliber handgun were found in a trash can at the departure lobby of the International Terminal by cleaning personnel. A subsequent examination of security camera footage showed the woman, aged in her 60s, tossing the contraband into the trash container.
“The live ammunition was kept at my home in the U.S., and, after entering Japan, I noticed that it was inside my bag,” said the woman, who has been accused of violating the Swords and Firearms Control Law. “I threw it away in the garbage thinking that it was wrong [to possess].”
The woman, who was traveling with her husband, arrived at Haneda Airport that same day. After viewing the footage, police stopped the suspect inside the airport. She was scheduled to depart on a flight for a country in Southeast Asia on Wednesday.
Police believe that the bullets were not detected during security screening in the U.S. According to Japan Customs, the woman was checked upon entry to Japan. Police in Japan are investigating the details of the incident.
