TOKYO: Japanese media reported a bomb attack at the rally of its Prime Minister Fumio Kishida who escaped unhurt on Saturday. According to reports, the PM was taken to safety by the security personnel soon after the attack episode unfolded on the sidelines of a rally.
A loud explosion occurred at a western Japanese port on Saturday during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit, but there were no injuries, Japan’s NHK television reported. It said Kishida was unharmed and evacuated to the Wakayama prefectural police headquarters.
The attack comes after after Kishida’s predecessor Shinzo Abe was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara nine months ago. While the assassination shook the nation, investigations revealed lapses in Abe's security. The finding forced a security review and reinforcement of Japan's police security measures.
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Kishida was visiting the Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture to cheer his ruling party's candidate in a local election, when the incident occurred. The explosion happened just before he was to begin his speech, NHK said.
A man believed to be a suspect was arrested at the scene, and NHK footage showed several uniformed and plainclothes police officers gathered around the man, pressing him to the ground and dragging him to the side. The suspect, identified only as a young male, allegedly threw the explosive, NHK said.
One witness told NHK that she was among the crowd and saw something come flying from behind and that there was a sudden loud noise and she fled with her children. Another witness said people were screaming and that he saw someone being apprehended right before the explosion occurred.
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This weekend Kishida will begin hosing a series of ministerial meetings of Group of Seven (G7) in the run up to the May 19-21 summit in Hiroshima. It is pertinent to note that the Japan government on Friday approved a controversial plan to open the country's first casino in the city of Osaka, which was aimed at luring more foreign tourists. It will be open four years after Osaka hosts a World Expo and the casino resort will have conference facilities, an exhibition hall, a hotel and a theater.
“It is expected to contribute to the local economy and the economic growth of all of Japan after the Osaka-Kansai Expo and become a tourism hub for transmitting the charms of Japan,” Kishida had said while attending a meeting of the government's IR, or integrated resort, promotion panel. (with AP inputs)
