Japan's prime minister evacuated after 'smoke bomb' set off

Local media suggest a pipe-like object was thrown, as Charlie Frost reports

Japan's prime minister was evacuated unharmed after an apparent smoke bomb was thrown ahead of his speech - less than a year after his predecessor was assasinated.

Fumio Kishida had been visiting the Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture to cheer his ruling party’s candidate in a local election.

No injuries were reported in the incident and Kishida was taken to Wakayama prefectural police headquarters, according to NHK television.

A young man believed to be a suspect was arrested on Saturday at the scene after he allegedly threw “the suspicious object,” Japanese officials told reporters.

The government has not commented on the suspect’s motive and background, saying police are still investigating.

The incident comes only nine months after former prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.

The assassination shocked the nation and a subsequent investigation found holes in Mr Abe’s security and led to reinforcement of Japan’s police security measures. The latest attack also comes as a series of Group of Seven ministerial meetings begins this weekend ahead of the May 19-21 summit that Mr Kishida will host in Hiroshima.

NHK footage showed several uniformed and plainclothes police officers gathered around the auapect, pressing him to the ground and dragging him to the side.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the explosion, but some reports said it was a smoke or pipe bomb, which was allegedly thrown by a young male.

One witness told NHK she was among the crowd and saw something come flying from behind and that there was a sudden loud noise before she fled with her children.

Another witness said people were screaming and that he saw someone being apprehended right before the explosion occurred.

Saturday’s attack comes ahead of nationwide local elections, including a by-election for a vacated seat in the lower house of the Parliament, with voting scheduled for April 23.

In Mr Abe’s assassination, the attacker allegedly shot him with a homemade gun as the former leader was making a campaign speech.

The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, has been charged with murder and several other crimes including violation of a gun control law. Mr Abe’s alleged assassin told investigators that he killed him, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of his apparent links to a religious group that he hated.

In his statements and in social media postings attributed to him, Yamagami said he developed a grudge because his mother had made massive donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted his family and ruined his life.

In a country known for public safety and tight gun controls, the assassination led to the resignation of top local and national police chiefs and a tightening of security guidelines for political leaders and other prominent people.

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