Video footage has shown the moments of the arrest of a man suspected of throwing what appeared to be a smoke bomb at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday.
Witnesses said an object was thrown towards Kishida before he was due to give a speech at the Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, southwest of Tokyo, where he was supporting his ruling party's candidate for a lower house by-election.
There was smoke and a bang and video, which can be seen here, shows police officers jumping on top of what is believed to be the suspect, who has been named by investigators as Ryuji Kimura, 24, of Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture, according to Japan Today.
Kishida was unhurt but there is nervousness of security around Japanese politicians with the incident coming less than a year after the former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was fatally shot during election campaigning.
Naoya Tanimoto, 31, who was among the hundreds in the crowd, said he heard a loud explosion around 10 seconds after the man was wrestled to the ground at around 11:25 a.m. local time. "It is usually quiet in the fishing port, so I was really scared. We were all in a panic," he said, according to Japan Today.
Kishida was rushed by car from the scene soon after the incident, which happened as he was talking with a candidate of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party which won key local elections this month. By-elections in several regions for the lower house of Japan's parliament are to be held later in April.
Afterwards, Kishida gave a speech in another part of the city where he said the incident should not be allowed to disrupt the electoral process. "Together with you all, we have to carry on with the election," he said.
He also tweeted that he would continue to give speeches on the street, adding according to a translation: "I am determined to carry this important election through to the end, working together with the people."
Police are investigating the incident which Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno described as "extremely unforgivable" during an election campaign.
Kishida became Japan's prime minister after he won the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership in September 2021. He succeeded the unpopular Yoshihide Suga, who did not seek reelection as party leader after about a year in office.
A general election is not due until October 2025. However, the Liberal Democratic Party's success in gubernatorial ballots in prefectures from Hokkaido in the north of the country to Oita in the southwest has raised speculation that Kishida could call a snap general election.
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