Japan PM Fumio Kishida safe after ‘smoke bomb

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed on April 15 after someone threw an explosive device at a campaign event in a western port city, officials said. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air.

Although no one was hurt, and Mr. Kishida planned to continue campaigning on Saturday, the chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which also came on a campaign tour and continues to reverberate in Japanese politics.

A young man believed to be a suspect was arrested on Saturday at the scene after he allegedly threw “the suspicious object”, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.

TV footage showed several uniformed and plainclothes police officers gathered around the man, piling onto him and roughly dragging him over the ground. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the explosion, but some reports said it was a smoke or pipe bomb.