Sunday, October 29, 2023

Japan PM safe after ‘smoke bomb’ at campaign event

Date:

An explosion occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in western Japan, causing panic among the crowd gathered there to support a ruling party candidate. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was present at the scene and had just finished sampling fish when the blast occurred. Footage on Japanese television showed a man being subdued by police, who appeared to be in his 20s or 30s. Kishida was unharmed and was evacuated from the area. There was no immediate official confirmation of the incident, with local police declining to comment. The incident comes just nine months after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while campaigning for a parliamentary election, leading to a tightening of security guidelines for prominent people.

The explosion occurred as Kishida was on the campaign trail in Wakayama prefecture in western Japan. He had just finished sampling fish at the Saikazaki fishing harbour and was about to deliver remarks in support of the ruling party’s candidate in local polls and a lower house by-election that are set for April 23. The incident caused panic among the crowd gathered there, with people scattering in all directions. Kishida was unharmed and was evacuated from the area.

The man who was subdued by police appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, according to public broadcaster NHK. There was no immediate official confirmation of the incident, with local police declining to comment. The incident comes just nine months after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while campaigning for a parliamentary election, leading to a tightening of security guidelines for prominent people.

The latest attack also comes as Japan hosts a series of Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meetings this weekend ahead of the May 19-21 summit that Kishida will host in the southern city of Hiroshima. The prime minister had just finished sampling fish at the site and was about to deliver remarks in support of the ruling party’s candidate in local polls and a lower house by-election that are set for April 23.

“That something like this happened in the middle of an election campaign that constitutes the foundation of democracy is regrettable. It’s an unforgivable atrocity,” Hiroshi Moriyama, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)’s election strategy chairman, told NHK.

The incident comes just nine months after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and leading to the resignation of top local and national police chiefs as well as a tightening of security guidelines for prominent people. Abe’s alleged assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, reportedly targeted him over his links to the Unification Church and the incident sparked revelations about the connection between the group and Japanese politicians. Yamagami has been charged with murder and several other crimes including violation of a gun control law. Abe was relatively unprotected and speaking on a street in western Nara when he was killed.

The incident is likely to raise concerns about security for prominent politicians in Japan, particularly in the lead-up to the G7 summit in May. The summit is expected to focus on issues such as climate change, global health, and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Kishida is expected to play a key role in the summit as host, and the incident is likely to increase pressure on him to ensure that security measures are adequate.

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