Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, local media reported.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported.
The incident occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was assassinated with a homemade gun last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and prompting a review of security for politicians, who routinely press the flesh with the public.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported.
A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said.
Kishida had just started to deliver the speech after touring the harbour when Saturday's incident occurred, NHK said. The speech was scheduled for 11:40 a.m. (0240 GMT), according to Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Kishida was to continue his Saturday afternoon campaign schedule after the incident, the LDP confirmed via its Twitter account.
A pipe-like object was thrown near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during an outdoor speech in the city of Wakayama on April 15, reports Reuters, quoting Japanese media
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023
NHK footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.
A representative of Wakayama's prefectural police headquarters told Reuters he could not answer questions about the incident.
A woman on the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and "it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry."
Kishida is to host a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. G7 foreign ministers are to meet on Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.
Video footage showed people at Saikazaki Fishing Port in Wakayama running for shelter at around 11:25 a.m., while a man was subdued first by what appeared to be two local fishermen. Several others — possibly police officers at the scene — then held the suspect on the ground. A Twitter post also showed that people were escaping from the scene.
岸田さんの演説でまさか目の前で… pic.twitter.com/RcXWnYbuzB
— ゆき (@yukiko_070) April 15, 2023
Kishida, who was visiting the port for a speech to support a Liberal Democratic Party candidate for a by-election planned for later this month, left the scene unhurt after the incident, which took place as he was speaking with a candidate of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Police later arrested the suspect at the scene for forcible obstruction of business and was taken to a nearby police station for questioning.
Kishida will proceed with the rest of the speeches scheduled for the day. After the incident in Saikazaki, he finished his speech in front of Wakayama Station at around 1 p.m. and is slated to speak in Urayasu and Ichikawa in Chiba Prefecture later in the afternoon. Kishida’s trip to Oita Prefecture on Sunday, in support of the LDP candidate for the Upper-House by-elections, will still take place for now.
“Right now, we are in the midst of an important election campaign,” Kishida said after he showed up at a separate event in Wakayama later Saturday. “We need to continue on with the help of all of you.”
The incident comes just nine months after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a homemade gun while campaigning for the Liberal Democratic Party in Nara Prefecture, which borders Wakayama.
The killing of Abe prompted police to revise its rules for VIP protection.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi said he had spoken to the prime minister who was safe, and added, “It is extremely regrettable that such an incident took place during an election which is the foundation of democracy. I strongly condemn it.”
An explosion-like sound was heard at the scene, public broadcaster NHK reported. Fumio Kishida took cover at the site of the explosion site and remained safe, it added.
Japanese PM was was unharmed in the incident, local media reported.
Videos shared on social media showed officers remocing a man as people cleared the area. Fumio Kishida was beginning a speech after touring a fishing harbour in the western Japanese city when the incident occurred, NHK reported
🔴 #AHORA | El momento de la fuerte explosión a metros del Primer Ministro de Japón, Fumio Kishida. ❗️ pic.twitter.com/wVzSQX2DTe
— Mundo en Conflicto 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) April 15, 2023
A man believed to be a suspect was apprehended at the scene, the report added.
The incident comes just nine months after Fumio Kishida's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech. Japan is due to host a Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit in Hiroshima next month.
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