A court in the Japanese city of Wakayama sentenced 25-year-old unemployed Ryuji Kimura to 10 years in prison for attempting to assassinate then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the spring of 2023, Kyodo news agency reported.
During the trial, Kimura denied any intention to kill the prime minister. He claimed that he was dissatisfied with Japan's electoral system and wanted to draw attention to his views.
In April 2023, Kimura threw a sealed metal tube containing homemade explosives at the prime minister, who was attending an election rally in the port city of Wakayama. Thanks to the actions of the security guards, Kishida was not injured, but a police officer and a participant in the event were injured. The attacker was detained by security officers.