Man imprisoned for attempted murder of former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

A man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attempt to murder of former Japan Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, in 2023.

Ryuji Kimura, 25, He threw a pipe bomb in Kishida When the country’s leader approached a multitude for a speech during an electoral event in the city of Wakayama.

Although Kishida was unharmed, the explosion of the homemade device caused minor injuries to a police officer and a public member.

The attack surprised Japan, since it arrived less than a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead in an outdoor electoral campaign event.

Kimura, who was sentenced on Wednesday, said that during the interrogation of his intention was not to kill Kishida, but to object to the regulation of the electoral age of the country that prevented him from entering politics.

The minimum age to become a member of Parliament in Japan is 25 for the House of Representatives and 30 for the Chamber of Counselors.

Kimura also added that he launched the bomb to call attention to a civil demand that he presented in 2022, claiming that the age restriction was unconstitutional, which was dismissed.

Kimura’s defense argued that he should not face a murder attempt position, since he did not expect the bomb to cause injuries, and that a three -year prison sentence would be reasonable given the scope of those injuries.

The court declared, however, that the explosives were powerful enough to cause fatal damage.

When issuing the ruling, Judge President Keiko Fukushima said that “addressing a prime minister in service caused significant anxiety to society as a whole.”

In addition to the attempted murder, Kimura was also convicted of violating explosive regulations and firearms control laws.

His 10 -year sentence is five years less than the prosecutors had sought.

While violent attacks are extremely rare in Japan, anxiety around the security of politicians has increased due to Abe’s murder in 2022.

The attempt to attack Kishida, which occurred less than a year later, raised questions about why there was no more strict security presence throughout the country’s leader at that time.