A police officer stands guard near the gate of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, in Tokyo, Feb 23, 2018. (AKIKO MATSUSHITA / KYODO NEWS VIA AP)

TOKYO — Police said they arrested two Japanese men believed to be right-wing activists for shooting early Friday at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's de facto embassy in Tokyo.

Japanese media reports said the two men have staged protests criticizing the pro-DPRK group, also known as Chongryon

The men fired several shots at the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, a pro-DPRK group representing ethnic Koreans in Japan, Tokyo metropolitan police said.

The men, aged 46 and 56, drove by in a vehicle and one of them fired several shots, police said. The gate was damaged but nobody was injured.

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The motive was not known. Japanese media reports said the two men have staged protests criticizing the pro-DPRK group, also known as Chongryon.

Patrolling police rushed to the closely monitored building and arrested the two on the spot, confiscating a gun, police said. The two men face allegations of damaging a building and could also face allegations of violating gun control laws.

Tokyo has no diplomatic ties with the DPRK. Tens of thousands of pro-North ethnic Koreans live in Japan and still have relatives in the DPRK.

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