TOKYO, April 15 (Portal) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday.
Kishida took cover after a loud explosion was heard while police overpowered a man at the scene, Japanese media footage showed. A police officer was slightly injured in the incident, the Nikkei newspaper reported, citing Wakayama Prefectural Police.
“Police are investigating the details of the loud explosion noise at the previous speaking location,” Kishida said as he resumed his campaign speeches. “I’m sorry that I worried a lot of people. We are in the midst of an important election for our country. We have to continue this together.”
The incident commemorated the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving modern leader, who was shot dead with a homemade gun while campaigning for a general election last July.
Abe’s assassination shocked the nation, where gun crimes are exceedingly rare, and prompted a security review for politicians who routinely press the flesh of the public.
Masato Kaburagi, a 35-year-old company employee who witnessed the incident, told Portal that security was still lax as it appeared the suspect was first taken down by another bystander.
“I never thought something like this would happen so soon after what happened with Abe,” said Kaburagi, who attended the rally with his wife and mother. “I don’t think I want to go to these political events anymore.”
By-elections for the lower house of the Japanese parliament will be held in various regions on April 23.
G7 SUMMIT SECURITY UNCHANGED
[1/5] A man believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech is arrested by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, southwestern Japan, April 15 .in this photo published by Kyodo. Mandatory Credit Kyodo via Portal
Chief Cabinet Hirokazu Matsuno said police have been ordered to increase security and the government will do whatever is necessary to ensure security at a summit that Kishida will host by the Group of Seven Industrial Powers in Hiroshima next month.
Japan’s foreign ministry said there would be no change to the security plan for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers that begins Sunday in the resort town of Karuizawa.
Matsuno said the government would await the results of the police investigation before commenting on the suspect’s possible motive.
The incident happened late Saturday morning at the Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama Prefecture, about 65 km (40 miles) southwest of the city of Osaka.
Kishida was served local seafood delicacies just before the blast, media reported. The news video showed Kishida looking behind her in surprise as shouts filled the semi-enclosed area near the water. A canister landed near his feet before being pushed away by a security agent.
A man, identified by the Asahi newspaper as an employee of the fishing cooperative, put a young man in a headlock as police swarmed the suspect and dragged him to the ground. About 50 seconds later, an explosion sounded and a plume of smoke was seen near where Kishida had been standing.
News footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. A 20-30 cm (8-12 inch) metal pipe was thrown and landed near Kishida, NHK reported, citing an officer at the scene.
A 24-year-old male suspect from Kawanishi City charged with violent business obstruction has refused to speak until his lawyer arrives, the Kyodo news agency said, citing investigators.
A representative from the Wakayama Prefectural Police Headquarters told Portal he could not answer questions about the incident.
A woman at the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and “it made me feel bad, so we ran away incredibly fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry.”
Reporting by Rocky Swift; Edited by Christian Schmollinger
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