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SCMP Reporter

POLICE last night were struggling to catalogue a cache of anti-tank missiles, grenades and more than 60 other firearms found in a luxury Happy Valley apartment.

  Forty-three rifles and machine-guns, 24 handguns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition allegedly belonged to a wealthy Japanese businessman, Hirotsugu Hirai, 29.

  Mr Hirai is expected to appear in Eastern Court today in relation to the collection of military items, reportedly worth $2 million.

  But it will take months to methodically examine the cache, which includes flares, a large number of air pistols and bayonets, and to properly tag and identify all the weapons, some of which date from the turn of the century.

  Many have been rendered inoperable.

  Police have spent two days in the 35th floor, four-bedroom flat in Broadwood Road, Happy Valley, where Mr Hirai lived alone.

  Last night, Mr Hirai accompanied police to the flat, after which 11 swords and 73 daggers were taken away to the police station.

  Little is known about Mr Hirai, who came to Hong Kong in 1988, except that he owns the luxury flat and a toy factory, Eishindo, in Dongguan in Guangdong province and frequently travels on business.

  Visitors to his flat likened it to an army barracks.

  The police interview with Mr Hirai was apparently being hampered by translation difficulties.

  Although some items remain unidentified, mainly because of their age, almost all items were made in the United States, Germany, Hungary, Russia and Japan.

  Police left flags, uniforms and other war memorabilia in the flat but were astonished by the scope of the illegal collection of weaponry.

  In Hong Kong, it is an offence punishable by 14 years in jail or a $100,000 fine to possess any weapon or ammunition without a licence.

  Dealing in arms illegally carries a 10-year jail term.

  ''There are some things that even our ballistics experts have not seen and cannot identify,'' said Superintendent Peter Bacon, Central District Assistant Commander, Crime.

  ''This is the biggest weapons seizure I have seen in my 18 years in the job.

  ''Certainly, they were all in good condition - there was no rust - and, quite obviously, we don't want any guns falling into the wrong hands.

  ''But we have not yet finished our search and we expect more ammunition and arms to be seized.''   The investigation started last November when officers from the Customs and Excise Department located a suspicious package. It had allegedly been imported from the US and was due for delivery to an office in Lockhart Road, Wan Chai.

  After being alerted about the delivery, police contacted Interpol and US authorities to verify details concerning the transaction.

  Mr Hirai had been questioned several times about the nature of his dealings.

  Last week, the Post Office located through X-ray equipment another suspicious package bound for Mr Hirai's office and, in a later controlled delivery, he was arrested, allegedly in possession of air pistols.

  ''What occurs will be dependent on our legal advice,'' Mr Bacon said, ''as we are still at an early stage of our investigations.

  ''Obviously, some of these items are extremely dangerous and unstable because of their age.''   Bomb disposal experts and ballistic officers directed the search.



Police stunned as anti-tank missiles found among weapons in man's flat