Police received a report at around 1:15 p.m. local time that gunshots had been heard, and a person was lying on the ground in Kobe's Chuo Ward, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The man, in his 60s, was shot in the abdomen and was taken to a hospital in cardiac arrest, but was later pronounced dead, the Kobe Shimbun reported, citing police and firefighters.

About 20 minutes later, at around 1:35 p.m., another shooting was reported in the city's Hyogo Ward.

Authorities are investigating the details of the series of shootings.