THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
April 15, 2023 at 12:39 JST
WAKAYAMA--Japan’s prime minister was escorted to safety April 15 after a young man hurled an apparent pipe bomb at the site here where Fumio Kishida was due to speak.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Kishida was visiting the area to speak on behalf of a ruling Liberal Democratic Party candidate running in the by-election for the Wakayama No. 1 district. Voting will be held on April 23.
According to a reporter at the site, a local fishing port, a young man threw a tube-like object about 15 centimeters long in the area where Kishida was supposed to speak around 11:30 a.m.
Sources said police seized the man at the scene.
The incident immediately evoked memories of the shocking assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the city of Nara last July while giving a campaign speech.
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Police seize a young man suspected of hurling an apparent pipe bomb in the area where Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was scheduled to speak. (Nen Satomi)
