A 27-year-old man was arrested by Japan police on suspicion of illegally possessing two guns created by a 3-D printer on Thursday, IBN Live reported.
Officers who raided the home of Yoshitomo Imura in April confiscated five weapons, two of which had the potential to fire lethal bullets, broadcaster NHK said on Thursday.
Imura, an employee at a college, kept the plastic guns at his home in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. No bullets for the gun were reportedly found.
This is the first time Japan's firearm control law has been applied for the possession of guns produced by a three-dimensional printer, Kyodo news reported.
Earlier this year, Imura posted video footage of the gun, along with blueprints, on the Internet. He claimed to have produced the guns himself.
An investigation was launched by the police after viewing the video, according to IBN Live.
"I produced the guns, but I didn't think it was illegal. I can't complain about the arrest if the police regard them as real guns," Imura, who purchased a 3-D printer at around 60,000 yen ($590 approx.) through the Internet, was quoted as telling investigators during the search.
Blueprints to produce guns by 3-D printers were downloaded from websites hosted overseas, which could constitute a violation of a law banning the production of firearms, investigators said.
"Recent developments in 3-D printing technology, which allows relatively cheap machines to make complex materials by building up layers of polymer, has proved a challenge for governments across the globe," IBN Live reported. "Weapons assembled from parts produced by the printers are not detectable with regular security equipment, like that found at airports, leading to fears that they may be used in hijackings."
As information to create guns using the printers are easily accessible on the Internet, security authorities around the world have been on alert. Since the guns are made of resin, metal detectors are also not able to detect them.
