Explosive thrown at Japan’s PM at campaign event

An explosion has occurred in a park in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya, around 60 miles north of Tokyo, near where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was due to make an election speech. The explosive device was placed inside a sodden suitcase and appears to have been triggered by a timer. The explosion killed one man and injured three other people. It follows reports last week of a potential assassination attempt on Abe’s deputy, Taro Aso. Initial reports indicated it may have been a suicide mission by a retired soldier, however, this idea was later dismissed.  Japanese police are currently studying CCTV footage of the park where the explosion occurred.
The incident follows the suicide attempt of a man in a bulletproof vest who blew himself up in front of a Tokyo skyscraper last week. Security has been ramped up in Japan where G-7 foreign minister meetings are due to start today and culminate in May’s G-7 leaders’ summit, which will take place in Kishida’s hometown of Hiroshima. Head of the Cabinet Office, Yoshihide Suga, said the government was on maximum alert ahead of the meetings.
As we have noted, Japan has one of the lowest rates of crime in the world, and very strict gun laws. Last year only two people were killed with firearms; however, the nation has seen an increase in gun-related incidents this year. Openly carrying guns is illegal in Japan, and handguns are banned outright, except for police officers and a few other exceptions regarding hunting. Last year Japan passed an amendment to their constitution to allow troops to join international peacekeeping missions, however, there was strong opposition with many believing this amendment could lead to the deployment of the military overseas for the first time since WW2.



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