Advertisement
Japan
AsiaEast Asia

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

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Police officers patrol a road near the venue of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Karuizawa, Japan, on April 16, 2023. Photo: AFP
Reuters
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a day after he was evacuated from an apparent attack, vowed on Sunday to do everything possible to ensure the safety of meetings of the Group of Seven industrial powers through next month.

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.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech at a train station in Wakayama, southwestern Japan, on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech at a train station in Wakayama, southwestern Japan, on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

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.”

His bomb scare in Wakayama prefecture near Osaka was an eerie reminder of the assassination last July of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot with a home-made gun while campaigning for a parliamentary election.
Abe’s killing shocked Japan, where gun crimes are exceedingly rare, and prompted a review of security for politicians, who routinely mingle with the public.
Advertisement