A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attempted assassination of then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2023, according to Kyodo News.
A court in Wakayama, western Japan, ruled that the man intended to kill Kishida and others when he threw a homemade bomb at the prime minister on April 15, 2023. The attack occurred while Kishida was preparing to deliver a speech in support of a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate during local elections.
Although Kishida escaped unharmed, the explosion slightly injured a police officer and a bystander.
Judge Keiko Fukushima noted that the attack had caused widespread anxiety in society, emphasizing its gravity. Prosecutors had initially sought a 15-year sentence.
Apart from attempted murder, the suspect was also convicted of violating explosives and firearms regulations, as well as disrupting an election event, which breached the Public Offices Election Law.
The accused denied intending to kill anyone, claiming his goal was simply to protest Japan’s electoral system by creating a public disturbance at a high-profile event.
The incident occurred just a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while giving a campaign speech in Nara.
Despite such rare attacks, Japan remains one of the safest countries in the world, with strict gun control laws.