Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated on Saturday when an explosion occurred while he was visiting the port of Saikazaki in the city of Wakayama, in western Japan, without the president being injured in the incident. The alleged explosion occurred at around 11:30 local time while the president was preparing to give a speech at the site, and he was immediately removed from the area by security services.

Fumio Kishida, was at the port to support the election campaign of one of the candidates of his party, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), when a man threw what several eyewitnesses described as a cylindrical object that exploded similar to a smoke bomb, according to local media.

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The alleged attacker was immediately detained at the scene. In the images taken by NHK at the scene, a group of five police officers can be seen pinning the man to the ground, as well as the rest of the people fleeing the area screaming.

Japanese authorities have now confirmed that the detainee is a 24-year-old man named Ryuji Kimura, who was also carrying a second explosive, a metal object that could also be a pipe bomb. The man is now under police custody.

Footage of an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Kishida has been released by Japanese media.

Fortunately, the official was unharmed, and the assailant has been apprehended. pic.twitter.com/4Z3fxkyItS

— 301 Military (@301military) April 15, 2023

Authorities said that a police officer was reportedly slightly injured in the incident. The Prime Minister, however, escaped the incident unharmed.

Shortly thereafter, Kishida resumed his election events scheduled for the same day.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dies after being shot during a rally

The incident in a campaign speech at Kishida’s street level came after former Japanese President Shinzo Abe died last July after being shot in the back with a homemade firearm while participating in an election event of the same type in the city of Nara.

Moreover, the incident occurred on the same weekend that Japan is hosting two G7 ministerial meetings, one on Foreign Affairs and the other on Energy and the Environment.

-Thailand News (TN)