Breaking: Prime Minister Kishida Evacuated from Speech Following Explosion

Wakayama City: At 11:30 AM today, April 15th, a planned speech by Prime Minister Kishida at Saikazaki Fishing Harbor was suddenly interrupted by the sound of an explosion. The Prime Minister was safely evacuated, and no injuries have been reported. Authorities at the scene took a young adult man into custody.

The Prime Minister spent the earlier part of the day sampling seafood nearby before moving to the site. Kishida was about to begin his stump speech in support of LDP members in the city’s 1st ward; a few hundred people had gathered to watch. Kishida stepped out in front of the crowd. Eyewitnesses report then seeing a young man throw a cylindrical object towards the stage. The object rolled around on the concrete floor and, within seconds, exploded with a loud noise. Kishida quickly evacuated as smoke rose from the exploded object; onlookers fled amidst yells of “get away!” and “run!”

Meanwhile, prefectural police quickly tackled the man who had thrown the object. Video footage appears to show him holding another cylindrical object resembling a pipe bomb. The police arrested the man on account of “forcible obstruction of business.” (威力業務妨害容疑.)

Motegi Toshimitsu, Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party, made the following statement.

I just spoke with the prime minister, and it seems he is uninjured. It is truly regrettable for this sort of violent action to be taken during election season, the very basis of democracy. I strongly reproach such methods.”

「先ほど首相と話をしたが、けがはないということだ。民主主義の根幹をなす選挙期間中にこのような暴挙が行われたことは、極めて遺憾であり、強く非難する。」

This incident comes on the heels of last year’s shocking assassination of former prime minister Abe Shinzo. Abe, one of the most significant figures in Japanese politics over the last decade, was killed by Yamagami Testuya during a similar stump speech in Nara Prefecture. Yamagami’s stated reason for killing the former prime minister was anger over his association with the powerful and controversial Unification Church.

This article will be updated as more information comes to light.