Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has resumed election campaign events on Saturday after an incident early this morning involving a suspected smoke bomb that triggered an emergency situation during an event in the central-western part of the country.
A 24-year-old man is under arrest on suspicion of throwing a smoke bomb-like object during the run-up to a Kishida rally in Wakayama prefecture, which caused minor injuries to a policeman, according to Japan’s official Kyodo news agency.
Kishida was evacuated unharmed from the site and then resumed his schedule of speeches for the day following an event in the shadow of last year’s assassination, ahead of legislative elections to the country’s upper house, of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The country, it should be recalled, will hold next weekend five by-elections, including in the constituency left vacant by the death of Abe, as recalled by Bloomberg agency.
»Now we are holding elections, which are the most important thing for our country,» Kishida said in a speech broadcast by NHK after the incident, »and with the help of the people I want to go ahead with these important elections until the end.»
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno explained that the police were investigating the motive and background of the alleged perpetrator, before stressing that the Japanese government would certainly ensure the safety of those attending the G7 summit starting on May 19.
Government and opposition politicians condemned the incident. Hiroshi Moriyama, of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, denounced the incident before the Japanese public broadcaster NHK as »an unforgivable act of violence» that goes against »the very basis of democracy».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
