Japanese man sentenced to 10 years for bomb attack on PM
For the attempted murder of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, a court in Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan sentenced 25-year-old Ryuji Kimura to 10 years in prison. The attack happened in April 2023 during an election rally.
Twenty-five-year-old Ryuji Kimura was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. In April 2023, during a rally at the port in Wakayama, he threw a pipe bomb toward the prime minister, injuring two people. Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence for him.
Attack at the election rally
The incident took place on April 14, 2023, at 2:00 PM ET, when then-Prime Minister Kishida was supporting a candidate in a by-election for the lower house of parliament. The explosion of the homemade device caused minor injuries to a police officer and a rally participant. Kishida was quickly evacuated from the scene without injuries.
The presiding judge, in the reasoning for the verdict, emphasized that the incident had a significant impact on society since it was directed at a sitting prime minister and caused public concern. She noted that Kimura acted with premeditation. She explained that the 25-year-old had previously filed a lawsuit against the government, claiming that the lower age limit for candidates to the upper house of parliament—which prevented him from running in the election—was unconstitutional. The case, which the court dismissed, did not bring him the expected publicity. Therefore, as Kimura testified, "to draw attention," he decided to attack a well-known figure.
The attack on Kishida occurred less than a year after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot during a speech in Nara city.
The Japan Times reports that Kimura expressed remorse and apologized for his actions. When asked about his future, he declared, "I have no intention of engaging in politics."
