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WAKAYAMA, JAPAN (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unscathed after an explosive device was thrown in his direction while campaigning at a fishing port in western Japan on Saturday, officials said. Police knocked the suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to flee and smoke filled the air.
A police officer was slightly injured, and Kishida continued his campaign on Saturday in a chaotic scene reminiscent of the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nine months ago. Kishida was visiting Saikazaki Port in Wakayama Prefecture to support the ruling party candidate in a local election, but just before he started his speech, an explosion occurred.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that a suspected young man was arrested at the scene on Saturday for throwing a “suspicious object”. Matsuno declined to comment on the suspect’s motives or background, saying police are still investigating.
Television footage shows Kishida standing with his back to the crowd. His security details suddenly pointed to the ground near him, and the prime minister moved around in surprise. The camera quickly turns to the crowd as they focus on a young man holding a long silver tube that appears to be
As they fell over the man and tried to remove the tube from his hand, a loud explosion was heard near where Kishida was standing.
It was not immediately clear what the explosives were or how many the suspect had, but some reports said it was a smoke grenade or pipe bomb, possibly with a delayed fuse. There is a possibility.
No injuries were reported among the crowd in the incident, which occurred on the eve of a major international forum in Japan. Matsuno said Kishida was not injured and continued his campaign speech on Saturday. One police officer was slightly injured.
Investigations at the scene continued late into the night. Japanese media reports said the suspect refused to speak to police until his lawyer arrived.
Kishida made no mention of the explosion and returned to the Tokyo region in the evening after campaigning in Chiba for another candidate.
Matsuno said, “Elections are at the core of democracy, and we must never allow the threat or interference of violence.
He said he had instructed the national police to do their utmost to protect dignitaries visiting Japan in the period leading up to the G7 summit in May.
assassination of abePolice have stepped up protective measures following a subsequent investigation that found holes in Abe’s safety amid nationwide protests. .
Security is also being tightened in Japan as senior diplomats from some of the world’s most powerful democracies arrive at the G-7 foreign ministers’ meeting on Sunday.Kishida will host the G7 summit in his hometown of Hiroshima on May 19-21.
A witness told NHK TV on Saturday that she was standing in a crowd when she saw something flying behind her. rice field. Another witness said people were screaming and saw someone being arrested just before the explosion.
Saturday’s attacks come ahead of nationwide local elections, including by-elections for vacant parliamentarians, which are scheduled to be voted on April 23.
In the assassination of Prime Minister Abe, the former prime minister was shot with a homemade gun during an election speech.
He told investigators that he killed Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of his apparent affiliation with a religious group he disliked. rice field. In his statement and social media posts, Yamagami said he held a grudge because his mother donated so much to the Unification Church that bankrupted his family and ruined his life.
Abe’s assassination prompted the resignation of local and national police chiefs and tightened security guidelines for political leaders and other prominent figures.
The Kishida Cabinet hoped to draw the world’s attention to the hot spring town of Karuizawa this weekend.
Foreign ministers of Japan, US, UK, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union focus on concerns over Russia’s war in Ukraine, the rise of an increasingly belligerent China and North Korea’s series of provocative weapons tests. is expected to be given
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Klug reported from Karuizawa, Japan.
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