Yes! I too have heard the same as they do phycological checks as well as ongoing training and it takes YEARS. I used to see a shot gun shop for hunting here a few years ago in Gunma but I no longer see it, I guess business wasn't good.

Indeed, just the fact that no guns are around puts your mind at ease in public when you really think about it. Even going to clubs here ( when I used to do that) is an entirely different experience.

What really amazes me is the suicide rate, so even with out the guns, there is a silent, invisible killer. Every place has its problems.