Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from the port of Wakayama after hearing an explosion, but he was unharmed, local media reported on April 15.
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed Saturday after someone threw an explosive at him while he was campaigning in a fishing port in western Japan, authorities said. Police knocked the suspect to the bottom as screaming bystanders tried to flee and smoke filled the air.
One policeman was barely injured, and Kishida continued his campaign on Saturday, however the chaotic scene was harking back to the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nine months ago, which also took place as a part of the election campaign and still echoes in Japanese politics. Kishida was visiting the port of Saikazaki in Wakayama Prefecture to support his ruling party’s candidate within the local elections, and the explosion occurred just before he began his speech.
A young man believed to be a suspect was arrested at the scene on Saturday after allegedly throwing a “suspicious object,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Matsuno declined to comment on the suspect’s motive and background, saying police were still investigating.
Television footage shows Kishida standing along with his back to the group. His security suddenly points to the bottom next to him, and the prime minister turns around, looking concerned. The camera quickly turns to the group as several people, including uniformed and plainclothes policemen, deal with a young man wearing a white surgical mask and holding what appears to be one other device, a protracted silver tube.
As they fall on top of the person attempting to get the tube out of his hands, a big explosion is heard near where Kishida was standing. The group disperses in panic because the police brutally drag the person away.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the explosive device was or how much the suspect had, but some reports said it was a smoke or pipe bomb, possibly with a delayed fuse.
Within the incident, which occurred on the eve of a significant international forum in Japan, no injuries were reported amongst the group. Kishida was not injured and continued his campaign speeches in a while Saturday, Matsuno said. One policeman was barely injured.
The investigation at the scene lasted until late at night. In line with Japanese media reports, the suspect refused to talk to police until a lawyer arrived.
Kishida made no mention of the explosion and returned to the Tokyo region within the evening after campaigning in Chiba for one more candidate.
“Elections are the muse of democracy, and we must always never tolerate threats or obstruction of them with violence,” Matsuno said.
He said he had instructed the national police to do their best to guard dignitaries visiting Japan within the run-up to the Group of Seven summit in May.
Abe’s murder, who shocked a nation that prides itself on public safety and intensely tight gun control, emerged while he was giving an election speech within the western city of Nara. Amid nationwide protest, police tightened protective measures after one other investigation found Abe’s security vulnerabilities.
Security has also been bolstered in Japan as senior diplomats from a few of the world’s strongest democracies arrive for Sunday’s meeting. Meetings of G-7 foreign ministers. Kishida will host the G7 Leaders Summit from May 19-21 in his hometown of Hiroshima.
One witness on Saturday told NHK television that she was standing in the group when she saw something flying from behind. After a sudden loud noise, she ran away with the youngsters. One other witness said that folks were screaming and that he saw someone arrested just before the explosion.
Saturday’s attack comes ahead of nationwide local elections, including several by-elections for vacant seats in parliament, with a vote scheduled for April 23.
In Abe’s assassination, the previous prime minister was shot with a homemade gun during an election speech. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, was charged with murder and several other other crimes, including violating gun control laws.
He told investigators that he killed Abe, considered one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, due to former prime minister’s apparent ties to a non secular group he hated. In statements and social media posts attributed to him, Yamagami said he held a grudge because his mother made huge donations to the Unification Church, which bankrupted his family and ruined his life.
Abe’s assassination led to the resignation of top local and national police chiefs and tightened security guidelines for political leaders and other distinguished figures.
Kishida’s government hoped to focus the world’s attention this weekend on the recent spring resort of Karuizawa, where high-ranking diplomats will gather on Sunday for what’s often called the Group of Seven Foreign Ministers meeting.
The foreign ministers of Japan, america, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union are expected to deal with concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine, China’s increasingly militant rise and North Korea’s provocative series of weapons tests.