Crowds ran away screaming after a loud explosion was heard on Saturday (April 15) at an outdoor event in western Japan where Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had begun delivering a speech, Reuters reports.
A suspect had thrown what appeared to be a smoke bomb at the event held at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city, before he was pinned to the ground by several police officers and removed from the scene.
NHK said the prime minister was evacuated unhurt, while Kishida's ruling Liberal Democratic Party confirmed via its Twitter account that he was to continue his Saturday afternoon campaign schedule after the incident. By-elections in various regions for the lower house of Japan's parliament are to be held on April 23.
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was assassinated with a homemade gun last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and prompting a review of security for politicians.
