Photo/Illutration Ryuji Kimura at the Wakayama District Court on Feb. 19 (Drawn by Eri Iwasaki)

Elections are the bedrock of democracy.

We must unequivocally condemn the heinous act of hurling explosives into a crowd gathered for a campaign speech. It is crucial for us to renew our commitment to ensuring both the “safety” and “freedom” of citizens as they engage closely with politicians.

On Feb. 19, the Wakayama District Court sentenced Ryuji Kimura to 10 years in prison for throwing a homemade explosive device at a speech venue in Wakayama, where then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was campaigning in April 2023.

Approximately 200 people, including Kishida, were present at the venue. From the moment the explosive was thrown to the time it detonated, more than 50 seconds elapsed, allowing most individuals, including Kishida, to evade injury, though two persons were injured.

The incident narrowly avoided becoming a fatal disaster. The district court convicted the defendant on all five charges pursued by the prosecution, including attempted murder and violation of the Public Offices Election Law.

According to the prosecution, Kimura, who had previously lost a legal battle against the government in 2022 over age restrictions that barred him from running for the Upper House, targeted the national leader with the explosive for a high-profile attack.

This desperate act was an attempt to capture public attention after his grievances had failed to resonate on social media.

This act can only be characterized as both selfish and impulsive. The court’s ruling accurately emphasized that endangering a candidate and other people at an election speech venue, thereby significantly disrupting electoral activities and threatening the very foundation of democracy, is a grave offense that must not be taken lightly.

In the year preceding this incident, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during a speech supporting a candidate for the Upper House election. These successive violent incidents during election campaigns have deeply shaken society, leading to a considerable enhancement of security measures on the campaign trail.

It is essential to implement prudent safety measures, including, for instance, close coordination between speech organizers and police to select venues that can more easily be secured.

However, it is crucial that these measures do not compromise the fundamental freedom of elections. Creative and thoughtful efforts are necessary to safeguard the invaluable opportunities for candidates and voters to engage closely and meaningfully.

The issues surrounding Kimura’s trial, particularly during the investigation phase, are deeply concerning. Throughout the interrogation, prosecutors repeatedly used derogatory terms such as “hikikomori” (social withdrawal) and “replaceable” to describe the defendant, who chose to exercise his constitutional right to remain silent.

This conduct by the prosecutors was objected to by the defense as a violation of this right.

The inadequacies of the investigation approach were exposed through audio and video recordings of the interrogation, highlighting a lack of human rights awareness among the prosecutors.

While the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office’s inspection and guidance department acknowledged the interrogation methods as “inappropriate,” the Wakayama District Public Prosecutors’ Office has yet to issue an apology or provide an explanation.

It is incumbent upon the Wakayama office to offer a sincere apology and a thorough explanation, and to seriously reconsider its approach to respecting human rights.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 20

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