Second Obuchi Relative Gets Shell Casing

TOKYO — The brother of late Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi received an envelope containing an empty bullet cartridge, the second such envelope sent to a relative of the former leader this week.

Mitsuhei Obuchi, 70, a mayor, received the envelope without a return address Monday at his home in Gunma prefecture, 60 miles north of Tokyo, a police spokesman said Friday on condition of anonymity.

The mayor is the elder brother of Obuchi, who died May 14 after suffering a stroke.

A similar envelope arrived Monday at the Tokyo home of Obuchi’s daughter, Yuko, who is campaigning to win the parliament seat he vacated. Elections are scheduled for Sunday.

Police determined that the envelope addressed to Obuchi’s daughter was sent from a post office in Osaka, western Japan.

They said they did not know the origin of the second mailing but were investigating both cases.

Japan has strict gun laws, and few people besides police, soldiers and criminals have access to firearms.

Japanese newspapers said Yuko Obuchi also received several threatening postcards. The national Asahi newspaper quoted one of the postcards as saying that “injury” would be inflicted on Yuko Obuchi and Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, who succeeded Obuchi.