Japan’s Kishida vows safety of G7 meetings after ‘smoke bomb’ attack
- Japan must not allow acts of violence that attack the foundation of democracy, Kishida says, calling the incident ‘unforgivable’
- The Japanese prime minister escaped unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb during an election campaign stop
Kishida escaped unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb during an election campaign stop at a fishing port in western Japan.
The suspect, identified by police as 24-year-old Ryuji Kimura, was also carrying a knife when he was arrested, as well as a possible second explosive device he dropped at the scene after bystanders and police tackled him, Kyodo news agency reported.
No motive for the apparent attack, in which media said one police officer was slightly injured, has been announced.
Speaking to reporters, Kishida said Japan must not allow acts of violence that attacked the foundation of democracy.
“At a time when high-ranking officials from all over the world are visiting … Japan as a whole needs to maximise its efforts to ensure security and safety,” Kishida said on Sunday. “It’s unforgivable such a violent act was committed during an election campaign.”
‘I was stunned’: Japan PM escapes unhurt after smoke bomb thrown during event
Japanese politicians are campaigning for by-elections on April 23 for the lower house of parliament.
Kishida was about to deliver a speech in Wakayama when Saturday’s incident occurred.
Footage from the scene showed a metal canister being thrown from within a small crowd behind him, and the prime minister turning before being surrounded and led away by security.
As security officials and civilians at the scene quickly detained Kimura, a large blast sounded and white smoke filled the air, with people in the crowd screaming and running away.
A local fisherman who helped detain Kimura said he picked up a pipe-shaped object at the scene.
“I picked up this metal thing and wanted to hand it to a police officer. But he told me, ‘Just put it down! Leave it there,’” he told national broadcaster NHK.
Local media reports said Kimura, who was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of business, has so far refused to speak to investigators.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Saturday that police had been instructed to boost security and the government would do what was necessary to ensure security when Kishida hosted the May G7 summit in Hiroshima.
G7 foreign ministers gather on Sunday for a meeting in the resort city of Karuizawa, while the group’s environment and energy ministers are meeting this weekend in Sapporo in northern Japan.
“As politicians, we have to go out and campaign sometimes – it means we have to be exposed to the public,” Britain’s secretary of state for energy security, Grant Shapps, said in Sapporo.
“But I am quite sure that in the context of the G7 with our prime minister and other world leaders coming to Japan, we are perfectly safe,” Shapps said.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
