10 February

A Japanese father and his son have been shot by two gunmen in the Central American country of Belize. The father was wounded and the son died.

Local police and media say the incident occurred in Belize City, the country's largest city, on Thursday. They say 53-year-old Takayuki Yanai, a resident of the city, was attacked by two men when he got out of a vehicle in front of his home.

His 19-year-old son, Masaki, went to his rescue. The gunmen fired several shots at them, and stole Yanai's bag that had cash inside before fleeing the scene.

Police are investigating the incident as a suspected case of robbery and are searching for the two men, who remain at large.

Yanai runs a Japanese restaurant in the country. He reportedly had just arrived home from the restaurant when he was attacked.

Japan's foreign ministry says 45 Japanese were living in the country as of 2017.

NHK