Japan arrests men who fired on North Korean 'embassy'

Tokyo, Two Japanese right-wing extremists were arrested Friday after firing shots at a Tokyo building that serves as a de facto embassy for North Korea, police said.

No one was injured in the early morning attack, which only damaged the gate of the facility, but it marked a rare incident of gun violence in a nation that prides itself on strict weapons controls and street safety.

The incident comes as North Korea commands extended global media attention with its participation in the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

Satoshi Katsurada, 56, and Yoshinori Kawamura, 46, were arrested after allegedly firing "what appears to be a gun" several times around 3:50 am (1850 GMT), a spokesman for Tokyo Metropolitan Police said.

"They were arrested on the spot," he told AFP, adding that no one was injured in the incident at the General Association of Korean Residents or Chongryon.

The two men drove up to the building and fired shots toward the gate from their vehicle, local media said.

They then came out of the vehicle and were arrested.

The two men are associated with right-wing movements, with Katsurada known to have protested against North Korea in the past, media said.

Nam Sung-U, deputy chair of Chongryon, called it a "despicable act of terror."

In a statement, he blamed the Japanese government's "hostile policies" against the North for fuelling hatred toward ethnic Koreans in Japan.