Japanese Student Shot in Carjacking to Stay in U.S.

A Japanese college student shot during a carjacking says he still loves America, even though he thinks that it’s a dangerous place to visit and should have stricter gun control laws.

Kouichi Takemoto, who is studying travel and tourism at National College in Denver, told reporters Monday he plans to remain in the United States and complete his studies.

“I like America. I love America,” Takemoto said at Denver General Hospital. But he warned: “If you want to come to the United States, you must always be careful.”

Takemoto, 26, was returning to his apartment in southeast Denver early Friday when he was accosted by two men in the parking lot. He was shot just below the left shoulder, and $30 and his 1987 Toyota were stolen.

The car was recovered about five miles away; police have not made any arrests.

Doctors said the bullet grazed an artery and damaged three nerves that regulate motor control in the left forearm and hand. One nerve is expected to heal, but it will be at least three weeks before doctors know the extent of damage to the other two nerves.

The attack came less than a month after two 19-year-old Japanese students were shot and killed in a carjacking in Los Angeles. Two people have been charged in that incident, which prompted an apology from President Clinton to the Japanese government.

The California carjacking revived fears in Japan about U.S. violence that had flared in 1992 when a Japanese high school student looking for a Halloween party was fatally shot by a Louisiana homeowner who mistook him for a prowler.