The sound of a loud explosion was heard at 11:30 a.m. local time (02:30 GMT) near the site of a public speech that Kishida was scheduled to deliver in Wakayama on Saturday morning. Eyewitnesses told media that a young man threw a cylindrical black object in Kishida's direction as the prime minister appeared at the site. The man was immediately arrested by police, and seconds later there was an explosion and a cloud of smoke. The prime minister was evacuated and was not injured.
The sources said that two cylindrical objects were seized from the scene. One of them exploded on the spot, while the other reportedly remained in the hands of the arrested man.
Following the incident, law enforcement authorities arrested a 24-year-old resident of Hyogo Prefecture on suspicion of intentionally obstructing business. Japanese news agency reported that the suspect's name is Ryuji Kimura, but another local media said that police are still trying to confirm his name as the he continues to keep silent.
Kishida has decided to hold three public events on Saturday despite the incident in Wakayama, news outlet said, citing Liberal Democratic Party sources. The prime minister left the police headquarters shortly after the incident and went to a train station in Wakayama city to deliver a speech. Kishida apologized for the inconvenience and worry caused by Saturday's incident.
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.