Japan PM Kishida evacuated unhurt after explosion at speech: report

Published April 15, 2023
A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan on Saturday, — Kyodo via Reuters
A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan on Saturday, — Kyodo via Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported.

A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said.

The incident occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was assassinated with a homemade gun last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and prompting a review of security for politicians, who routinely press the flesh with the public.

  Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends his outdoor speech at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama,Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan on Saturday, in this photo released by Kyodo. — Reuters
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends his outdoor speech at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama,Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan on Saturday, in this photo released by Kyodo. — Reuters

Kishida had just started to deliver the speech after touring the harbour when Saturday’s incident occurred, NHK said. The speech was scheduled for 11:40 am (0240 GMT), according to Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Kishida was to continue his Saturday afternoon campaign schedule after the incident, the LDP confirmed via its Twitter account.

NHK footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.

A representative of Wakayama’s prefectural police headquarters told Reuters he could not answer questions about the incident.

A woman on the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and “it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry.”

Kishida is to host a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. G7 foreign ministers are to meet on Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.

Opinion

Editorial

Khamenei’s killing
02 Mar, 2026

Khamenei’s killing

THERE is no question about it: with the brutal assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and...
NFC reform
02 Mar, 2026

NFC reform

PLANNING Minister Ahsan Iqbal’s call for forward-looking reforms in the NFC Award has reopened an important debate...
Migrant crisis
02 Mar, 2026

Migrant crisis

MIGRANT casualties represent the lifelong pain of families left behind. Yet countries do little to preserve ...
A new war
Updated 01 Mar, 2026

A new war

UNLESS there is an immediate diplomatic breakthrough, the joint Israeli-American aggression against Iran launched on...
Breaking the cycle
01 Mar, 2026

Breaking the cycle

THE confrontation between Pakistan and Afghanistan has taken a dangerous turn. Attacks, retaliatory strikes and the...
Anonymous collections
01 Mar, 2026

Anonymous collections

THE widespread emergence of ‘nameless donation boxes’ soliciting charity in cities and towns across Punjab...