An appalling event has transpired along the serene beaches of Australia where a fatal shooting incident resulted in the death of nine people. The exact circumstances and motives behind the incident are yet to be clarified by the Australian authorities. Japanese media managed to promptly report on this tragic event, underlining Japan's own security concerns as some of the deceased are presumed to be Japanese nationals.

Gun crimes are extremely rare in Japan due to the country's strict gun-control laws, which make such incidents deeply shocking for the Japanese community. The incident is likely to spark discussions around the safety of Japanese tourists abroad, and whether more needs to be done in terms of foreign policies and international cooperation to ensure their security.

Gun-related incidences are unfortunately more common in countries like the US, where gun laws are infamously less stringent. While in the EU, depending on the country, the gun laws can be strict although isolated incidents occasionally occur. This shooting will therefore perhaps not have the same societal shock-factor in the US or EU as it does in Japan.