Selloff or Market Correction? Either Way, Here's What to Do NextSee Overvalued Stocks

Japan's Kishida vows safety of G7 meetings after 'smoke bomb' attack

Published 04/15/2023, 08:45 PM
Updated 04/16/2023, 03:15 AM
© Reuters. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech to support his ruling party?s candidate in a local election, near a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credi

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a day after escaping an apparent attack, vowed to ensure the safety of Group of Seven dignitaries visiting his country, beginning with tighter security for climate ministers gathering in Sapporo.

"My security has become even heavier this morning. It's so tight I think it is going to be difficult to go out into the city," Japan's environment minister, Akihiro Nishimura, said at a the hotel in the northern Japanese city where he was hosting his G7 counterparts.

Bodyguards bundled Kishida to safety on Saturday after a man threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at him during an election campaign stop at a fishing port in western Japan.

Heightened security "reflects an increasing challenge of being in politics these days," said Canada's minister of natural resources, Jonathan Wilkinson.

"Unfortunately I think that some of this has to do with the social media and some of the misinformation which spreads online," Wilkinson told Reuters in Sapporo.

The suspect in Saturday's incident, identified by police as 24 year-old Ryuji Kimura, was also carrying a knife when he was arrested, as well as a possible second explosive device he dropped at the scene after bystanders and police tackled him, Kyodo news agency reported.

No motive for the apparent attack, in which media said one police officer was slightly injured, has been announced.

Speaking to reporters, Kishida said Japan must not allow acts of violence that attack the foundation of democracy.

His bomb scare in Wakayama prefecture near Osaka was an eerie reminder of the assassination last July of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot with a homemade gun while campaigning for a parliamentary election.

Abe's killing shocked Japan, where gun crimes are exceedingly rare, and prompted a review of security for politicians, who routinely mingle with the public.

Japanese politicians are campaigning for by-elections on April 23 for the lower house of parliament.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Saturday that police have been instructed to boost security and the government would do what is necessary to ensure security when Kishida hosts other G7 leaders in May in his home town of Hiroshima.

"As politicians, we have to go out and campaign sometimes – it means we have to be exposed to the public," Britain's secretary of state for energy security, Grant Shapps, told Reuters in Sapporo.

© Reuters. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech to support his ruling party?s candidate in a local election, near a train station in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERS

"But I am quite sure that in the context of the G7 with our prime minister and other world leaders coming to Japan, we are perfectly safe," Shapps said.

G7 foreign ministers gather on Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.