TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was pulled from safety after a suspect threw a smoke bomb during an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, JEE News reported.
JEE News said a loud explosion was heard, but the prime minister took cover and was safe while police arrested a man at the scene.
The incident occurred at Saikazaki Fishing Harbor in Wakayama Prefecture, about 65 kilometers (40 mi) southwest of Osaka city.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, modern Japan’s longest-serving leader, was assassinated last July with a homemade gun while campaigning for parliamentary elections, shocking the nation and prompting security for politicians. had prompted the review, which routinely pressures the flesh with the public.
JEE News said Kishida had just started giving a speech after visiting the port when Saturday’s incident occurred. According to Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the speech was scheduled for 11:40 a.m. (0240 GMT).
Kishda was scheduled to continue campaigning on Saturday afternoon following the incident, the LDP confirmed via its Twitter account.
JEE News footage showed the crowd fleeing as several police officers appeared to wrestle a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The media reported that the man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s.
A representative at Wakayama prefectural police headquarters told JEE News he could not answer questions about the incident.
A woman at the scene told JEE News that she saw an object flying overhead and “it made me feel bad, so we ran incredibly fast.
Kishida will host the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. G7 foreign ministers are due to meet in the resort town of Karuizawa on Sunday.
