Ramen shop owner shot dead in Western Japan

A male owner of a ramen noodle shop was shot dead in western Japan's port city of Kobe on Saturday, according to local police.

At around 11am local time, a female worker at the shop in Kobe's Nagata Ward called for an ambulance after finding the man lying on the kitchen floor and bleeding from mouth and nose.

The shop owner in his 50s was pronounced dead at the hospital, and a murder investigation is underway, according to the local police station.

What appears to be a bullet remains lodged in the head of the man, who could be linked with a crime syndicate, national news agency Kyodo reported, citing police and investigative sources.

There were no customers in the noodle shop when the incident took place.