The man accused of launching an “improvised bomb” against the prime minister had filed a complaint against the government for not agreeing with the necessary requirements to stand in the elections.
Japan’s public prosecutor’s office indicted a 24-year-old man on Wednesday with attempted murder and other crimes for an alleged bomb attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April.
Kishida was campaigning in the western Japan port of Wakayama when the suspect allegedly threw an improvised bomb. The prime minister was uninjured, but two other people suffered minor injuries.
According to Japanese public television NHK, Ryuji Kimura, 24, remained in silence since he was arrested at the site of the explosion. However, after a three-month psychiatric evaluation, prosecutors determined that the suspect was mentally fit to stand trial and that the bomb used in the attack was potentially lethal, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.
Court records show that Kimura had filed a complaint last year against the government, challenging the obligation to be at least 30 years old and at least three million yen (20,000 euros) to stand for election to the Japanese parliament.
Japan tightened security measures after the July assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, shot dead while speaking at an election campaign rally. Gun and bomb violence in Japan is extremely rare and the attacks on Abe and Kishida shocked the country.
Source: Observadora
