I accidentally brought a loaded handgun with me to Japan in my checked baggage. What do I do now?

When I was packing to go to Japan, I forgot to take my pistol out of my suitcase. I found it, along with an extra clip full of ammunition. I am currently at a hotel in Tokyo, and I'm very unhappy about this. I know that Japan has extremely strict gun laws, and obviously I don't need any kind of trouble with the Japanese prison system.

What is the best way to dispose of this weapon and ammunition? I obviously can't risk taking it back with me to the airport. Security at Narita is probably tighter than security at LAX anyway.

Should I just hide it in a box and throw it into the bay? Should I try to buy some tools and disassemble the thing in the hotel room, and dispose of it in pieces? I'm thinking of cutting my mattress open and just hiding it in there, since I only need it to be hidden long enough to exit Japan.

Has anyone dealt with a situation like there, where you accidentally took a firearm into a restricted area/country?

The suitcase was checked baggage. Apparently the security screener didn't do his job.

Maybe you could contact the American Embassy in Tokyo and ask a contact there for advice. They may be able to mail it back to the states for you.

I would turn it into the police. They can't arrest you for accidentally bringing it in to the country, if they did not catch you in the act.

You shouldn't hide it because what if a kid finds it, or some one finds it and uses it in a crime ( it can be traced back to you)

good luck with that!

Obviously security isn't what it should be anywhere. Throw it in the bay and then you no longer have the problem to worry about so you can enjoy yourself.

Go to the consulate and find out how to have it sent back to you, if you want to keep it. If not, put it in the trash before you leave, wiping off all fingerprints, etc.

You can keep it...just declare it and they will separate it from you and you can pick it up at your destination later..listen to aj frank above

you shouldn't travel with fire arms anyway. most airlines don't allow them to be on planes even in checked baggage.

Ooh, I like the disassembling idea. Just unload it first. Good luck.

Please ask the comedy school that you graduated from for your money back. Your question was not funny.

take it to the embassy
Geez, answerer below me-are you an echo?

I'm not going to advise you what do, as it may be illegal. This is what someone could do:
Whatever you do, don't call the police as they will trace the call.

Basically, you're going to have to chalk the gun up.
Japanese laws so very strict. No civillians can have a handgun.
When you decide to ditch the gun they will eventually find it and trace it back to you. That may or may not be a big deal to you if you never plan on going back to Japan. I think you can find a better place than your bed in the hotel room that is registered to you. Try renting a car and burying it in the countryside.
You need to try and scratch the serial numbers off. Even if you do that labs have been known to dig deeper and still turn it up.

Your primary goal right now should be leaving the country without being arrested.

Are you serious or is this a what-if question?

you're full of it...there is no way you made it through the airport screening when you left the usa...nice try.how could they not find it if you went to no lengths to conceal it in the suitcase?? my dad brought a fillet knife along in his carry on bag in alaska...they found it, (naturally) at the airport in anchorage, ak...they gave him alot of interrogations and so forth, and whenever he flies now he is on a list that they go to extra lenghts in searching his person..