A man was arrested in Tokyo after throwing what appeared to be multiple Molotov cocktails at the Liberal Democratic Party＊s headquarters and ramming a car into a security fence outside the Prime Minister＊s Office early Saturday.
After throwing about five of the objects resembling Molotov cocktails at the LDP office, the suspect then drove about 500 meters to the Prime Minister＊s Office, NHK reported, where he crashed into the fence and threw an apparent smoke bomb. He was subdued and arrested by police on the spot on suspicion of obstruction of public duties after setting his minivan on fire, burning part of it.
NHK identified the suspect as 49-year-old Atsunobu Usuda from Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture. A motive for his attack has yet to be determined, with the suspect remaining silent during questioning. Usuda＊s home was searched by police on Saturday evening.
Usuda＊s father, who lives with the suspect, told NHK that he was ※shocked and confused§ to discover his son had been arrested over the incident. The father said that his son had been actively involved in the anti-nuclear energy movement in Japan, but he was not sure if this was linked to the attack.
No injuries were reported in the incident, though video from the aftermath showed a riot police vehicle with its front panel burned away. Reports said one of the firebombs had hit the vehicle, though the blaze was quickly extinguished.
About 10 plastic kerosene tanks and several unused Molotov cocktails were also found inside the suspect＊s car, according to media reports.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police was investigating the incident, which came just over a week before the Lower House election on Oct. 27.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as LDP president and was making campaign appearances more than 1,100 kilometers away in Kagoshima Prefecture on Saturday, pledged that election campaign activities would continue.
※Democracy must never be allowed to succumb to violence,§ Ishiba said. ※We will continue to take all possible measures to ensure that citizens＊ safety and security are properly protected.§
Japanese police have tightened security for important figures ahead of the election, the first major national poll since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally gunned down while delivering a stump speech in July 2022.
Less than a year later, in April 2023, Ishiba＊s predecessor, former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, was also the target of an apparent assassination attempt, when a pipe bomb-like device was thrown and landed just 1 meter beside him as he delivered a speech in the city of Wakayama in support of an LDP candidate running in a by-election. Kishida was unhurt in the incident.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.