Japanese leader Kishida evacuated after apparent smoke bomb thrown at him

Kishida was delivering a stump speech on behalf of a candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ahead of local elections scheduled for April 23.

The incident served as a chilling reminder of security concerns for Japanese politicians, who typically appear in public with little visible protection.

Law enforcement training and preparation for security at political events came under scrutiny after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, at a campaign event last July, when a gunman approached him from behind and fatally shot him. That attack took place in a prefecture just north of where Saturday’s incident occurred.

After being evacuated, Kishida moved on to another campaign event in the area. “I’m sorry for causing worry,” he said during his stump speech following his evacuation. “We are holding an important election right now. We have to work together to get through this.”

The suspect is believed to be a 24-year-old man, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The gunman in Abe’s shooting, Tetsuya Yamagami, told investigators he targeted Abe because he believed the former leader had links to the Unification Church, an influential religious organization. After a psychiatric evaluation, Yamagami was charged with murder and now awaits trial.

After the assassination, Japanese officials increased security around Kishida as he continued campaigning for his party’s candidates, saying the democratic process would not be deterred by the violent attack. At the time, Kishida gave stump speeches from an elevated platform and there were metal detectors for attendees.

Saturday’s attempted attack on Kishida took place just before he was scheduled to give his speech. It was not immediately clear what security measures were in place for his appearance.

Lee reported from Seoul. Inuma reported from Tokyo.