Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was unharmed after a suspect tossed what seemed to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, local media reported.
A loud explosion was heard, prompting the premier to take cover, national broadcaster NHK said. Kishida was unharmed and no injuries were reported, NHK said, adding the police apprehended a suspect at the scene.
“Police are investigating the details of the loud explosive sound at the previous speech venue,” Kishida said when he resumed his campaign speeches, in video broadcast by NHK. “I am sorry for causing many people to be concerned. We are in the middle of an important election for our country. We must carry this on together.”
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The incident recalled the killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving leader, who was shot with a homemade gun while campaigning for a parliamentary election last July. Abe’s assassination shook the country, where gun crimes are extremely rare. It also spurred a reconsideration of security for politicians, who frequently mingle with the public.
By-elections for Japan’s lower house of parliament are set to be held in various regions on April 23.
Kishida is also to host a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. Following Saturday’s incident, Japan’s foreign ministry said security arrangements will remain unchanged for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting beginning Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said police have been instructed to boost security, and that the government will do everything necessary to ensure security at the G7 summit in Hiroshima.
Explosion and a cloud of smoke
Matsuno stated that the government will wait for results of the police investigation before commenting on the suspect’s possible motive.
The event occurred late Saturday morning at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, around 65 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.
Kishida was being served local speciality seafood moments before the explosion, media reports said. Kishida was caught on camera staring behind him, surprised, as shouting filled the area.
A witness at the scene told NHK, she spotted an object flying overhead and “it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise.”
A man identified by the Asahi newspaper as an employee of the fishery cooperative seized a young man in a headlock as police swarmed the suspect and dragged him to the ground. Moments later, an explosion and cloud of smoke could be seen near where Kishida had been standing.
Crowds were seen fleeing as multiple police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the area, NHK footage showed. A 20-30 cm metal pipe was thrown, which landed close to where Kishida was standing, NHK reported, citing an official at the scene.
An official of Wakayama’s prefectural police headquarters declined to answer questions about the incident. Police nabbed a 24-year-old male suspect from Kawanishi city with the surname Kimura, who has so far remained silent, Kyodo said, citing investigators.
- Reuters, with additional editing by Vishakha Saxena
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