A 25-year-old riot officer of the Metropolitan Police Department apparently fatally shot himself on Friday in a toilet at a guard station on the premises of the prime minister's office, the police said.

The officer, found bleeding from the head at around 4:40 a.m. with a gun at the scene, was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the police.

A colleague of the officer heard what sounded like a gunshot and found him lying in the toilet. A bullet had been fired from the gun and no suicide note was found.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is currently on a trip abroad.

Photo shows the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 5, 2023. A riot officer of the Metropolitan Police Department apparently fatally shot himself at a guard station on the office's premises earlier in the day. (Kyodo)

Emergency service in Japan: 119

If you are having suicidal thoughts, help is available.

For Japan, call Yorisoi Hotline at 0120279338 (toll-free). Press 2 after the recorded message for consultation in English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, or Indonesian. The service in these languages is also available on Facebook messenger.

For those outside Japan, you can find a list of other resources here.