TOKYO, March 5 -- A man shot himself to death in front of the Japanese parliament building in central Tokyo Wednesday morning.

       Police said the man was about 60 years old. He arrived at the south gate of the Diet building by taxi and shot himself in the head with a pistol at about 8:15 a.m. local time, holding letters to Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and media in the other hand.

       The letters showed the man was a right-wing activist from western Japan's Kansai region, police said.

       Japan bans private possession of guns. The suicide case was regarded and will be investigated as violation of the firearms law, according to police.