A masked suspect was taken into custody early Saturday morning after crashing his vehicle into a security fence outside the prime minister's office, according to early reports from the broadcaster, NHK, which cited the police. No injuries were reported, and Mr. Ishiba was away from Tokyo in southern Japan on Saturday. This incident marks a continuation of violence targeting officials in a country previously known for its low crime rates.
The episode is the latest in a series of violent acts targeting officials in Japan, a country known as having low rates of violent crime. In 2022, Japan was shaken by the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the following year, a man threw a pipe bomb at Fumio Kishida while he was delivering a speech.
The suspect in Saturday's attack has been identified as a 49-year-old resident of Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo. Several more incendiary devices and plastic containers probably containing kerosene were found in his vehicle, indicating a potentially premeditated attack against government figures.
Mr. Ishiba took office this month, succeeding the unpopular Mr. Kishida, who resigned after leading the Liberal Democrats for three years amid corruption scandals. His approval rating is reported to be just 28 percent, the lowest for any new administration since 2000.
[
Collection
]
[
|
...
]