A Japanese court has sentenced 25-year-old Ryuji Kimura to 10 years in prison for attempting to murder former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in 2023. Kimura hurled a homemade pipe bomb at Kishida during an election event in Wakayama, causing minor injuries to a police officer and a bystander.
Kimura claimed his intention was not to kill Kishida but to protest Japan’s election age regulation, which prevented him from entering politics. He also sought to draw attention to a civil lawsuit he filed in 2022, arguing that the age restriction was unconstitutional.
The court rejected Kimura’s defense, stating that the explosives were powerful enough to cause fatal damage. Presiding Judge Keiko Fukushima noted that targeting a serving prime minister caused significant anxiety to society as a whole.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Kimura was found guilty of violating explosives regulations and firearms control laws. His 10-year sentence is five years less than what prosecutors had sought.
This incident has raised concerns about politicians’ security in Japan, particularly after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.
