carried out either by hiding the item in carry-on luggage aboard an airplane or by sending the item through regular international mail.

Table 2-11 Trends in the Situation of Handgun, Smuggling Cases (1999-2008)
Year	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Category
Number of Cases	15 (10)	6 (5)	2 (1)	5 (3)	13 (8)	4 (3)	3 (2)	6 (2)	6 (3)	3 (1)
Number of Arrests	21 (15)	18 (17)	5 (3)	7 (5)	17 (10)	5 (4)	5 (4)	14 (8)	7 (4)	3 (1)
Number of Firearms Seized	19	114	0	10	13	4	4	12	3	1

Note 1: The number of cases and number of arrests includes not just cases of handgun smuggling (preparation of crimes) but also cases of

2: The number in the parenthesis with the number of cases and number of arrests rows indicates the number of people

arrested for just handgun smuggling cases.(preparation of crimes)

## (2) Promotion of Government Measures

In order to handle the severe gun situation, relevant organizations $ ^{1} $ are taking countermeasures for guns under the direction of the Council for the Promotion of Measures against Guns, which is headed by the Minister of State for Gun Countermeasures. In May, 2008, the Headquarters for the Promotion of Measures against Guns $ ^{2} $ headed by the Chief Cabinet Secretary formulated the “2008 Plan for Promoting Measures against Guns” for the aim of realizing a society with no gun related crimes. In December, 2007, the Guns and Boryokudan Control Team established under the Ministerial Committee for Crime Countermeasures decided on the active implementation of join training to prevent the smuggling of guns at the border. Based on this decision, in November, 2009, the police, the Japan Coast Guard, and the Customs Office conducted join training to crack down on the smuggling of guns in Okinawa.

Note 1: The Cabinet Secretariat; the Cabinet Office; the National Police Agency; the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the Ministry of Finance; the Fisheries Agency; the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Japan Coast Guard; and the Ministry of the Environment

2: The Headquarters for the Promotion of Measures against Guns was consolidated under the Ministerial Committee for Crime Measures in December 2008 and became the Council for the Promotion of Measures against Guns, which is headed by the Minister of State for Gun Countermeasures.

## (3) Promotion of International Small Arms Control

In December 2001 Japan signed the Firearms Protocol $ ^{1} $ . With the signing of the protocol, the tracking of small arms traded illegally became easier, and it is expected that international cooperation will be even smoother in the future.

Additionally, through such organizations as the ICPO-Interpol $ ^{2} $ , the Police are working to strengthen linkages with international organizations by pursuing proactive information exchange with related international organizations, dispatching personnel and inviting related persons to Japan.

## (4) Securing the Cooperation and Understanding of the People

The police are calling on the public to help extinguish small arms violence and eradicate illegal small arms through such events as the “Symposium on the Eradication of Firearms Related Crimes” $ ^{3} $ and the “Stop Gun Caravan,” $ ^{4} $ an organization which links together with private volunteer groups to carry out anti-firearms activities.