Misao Katagiri was born on April 15, 1947, in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. Not much is known about his early life, but he reportedly had a strong interest in firearms from a young age. His fascination with weapons would later lead him to commit one of Japan’s most violent shooting sprees.

By the mid-1960s, Katagiri had developed an increasing obsession with guns and crime. On July 29, 1965, at the age of 18, he began a deadly rampage that left one police officer dead and multiple people injured. His attack would become known as the Zama and Shibuya shootings and was one of the rare mass shootings in Japan's history.

On July 29, 1965, Katagiri carried out his first attack in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Armed with a rifle, he shot and killed a police officer and wounded another. After the shooting, he stole the injured officer’s handgun, hijacked four cars, and fled toward Tokyo.

Upon reaching Shibuya, Tokyo, he entered a gun shop near the Shibuya fire station and took four hostages. A massive gunfight broke out between Katagiri and police officers, leading to 16 more people being injured. The chaos attracted a crowd of nearly 5,000 spectators, including a young Norio Nagayama, who would later become another infamous spree shooter in Japan.

The standoff ended when one of the hostages fought back, giving the police a chance to tackle and arrest Katagiri. His violent spree, which spanned two locations, was one of the deadliest gun-related crimes in Japanese history.

Katagiri was arrested on July 29, 1965, and went to trial for his crimes. He was found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and firearm-related offenses. After a long legal process, he was convicted and sentenced to death. He spent several years on death row before being executed by hanging on July 21, 1972.