Earlier on Saturday, as Kishida was touring the venue ahead of a stump speech, a young man from the crown threw a cylindrical object toward him, which was followed by a sound of an explosion and a smell of smoke. The prime minister was unhurt and immediately left by car, saying later at another place in the city that the incident should not disrupt the electoral process, the Japanese news agency reported.
Two cylindrical objects were seized later at the scene, one of them had exploded and the other was held by the attacker, the report added, citing sources in the investigation.
The perpetrator turned out to be a 24-year-old man from Hyogo Prefecture, Ryuji Kimura, who was arrested at he scene, the report said, adding that he has refused to communicate with investigators until he sees his lawyer.
The incident is not the first attack on a Japanese politician in the country. Less than a year ago, on July 8, 2022, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot while speaking during his campaign speech in Nara Prefecture. His assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 33 feet. The attacker told investigators that he had decided to carry out the assassination because of Abe's alleged ties to a religious sect that he claimed had bankrupted his mother. The group has denied having had anything to do with the former prime minister.