Another lead? Suspect who attacked Japan PM may have had grudge about nation's electoral system

New Delhi: The suspect in the attack on Japan PM Fumio Kishida may have had a grudge towards the nation’s electoral system after being disqualified from running for office in the upper house election the previous year, according to court documents, as reported by Kyodo News.

Ryuji Kimura (24), has remained silent since being detained after throwing an explosive device at Kishida on Saturday in the western Japanese city of Wakayama.

The incident occurred just before Kishida was about to deliver a speech.

According to Kyodo News, the records show that in June of last year, a man with Kimura’s exact name and address petitioned the Kobe District Court for damages for mental distress after being unable to announce his candidature for a House of Councillors election that took place the following month. He requested 100,000 yen in damages.

Kimura alleged that the requirements of being at least 30-years-old and putting down a 3 million yen deposit prevented him from running in the upper house election, which he claimed was against the Constitution’s guarantee of equality before the law.

However, the district court dismissed the case in November on the grounds that the age restriction and deposit were both reasonable requirements. He filed an appeal with the Osaka High Court, and the court is expected to rule in May of this year.

Investigative sources cited Kimura’s family as saying that he “was at home until around midnight on the day of the attack, but was gone by morning,” reported Kyodo News.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters reported that the party posted Kishida’s schedule for Saturday the night before on its website and that one of its election candidates also shared the prime minister’s speech preparations on social media.

On Saturday at about 11:25 am, Kimura threw an explosive at Kishida from within a crowd. He was only a few metres from the prime minister when the object, which was thought to be a homemade pipe bomb, landed a few metres away from Kishida.

Also Read: Suspect may have used homemade pipe bomb to attack PM Kishida, investigators say

The attack occurred less than a year after Japan’s former PM Shinzo Abe was shot and killed in July 2017 while making a speech in the city of Nara ahead of the election for the House of Councillors.

With inputs from agencies

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