An explosive thrown at Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an election rally on Saturday has raised alarming questions about the state of VIP security, less than a year after a former premier was gunned down and weeks before Japan hosts G7 leaders.
Kishida was about to speak at a by-election campaign event at a fishing harbour in Wakayama City, western Japan, when a smoking metal cylinder landed within a metre of him.
Kishida was bundled away from the partly enclosed area as police and bystanders subdued a suspect. Seconds later the small device exploded. Media said one or two people were slightly hurt.
The incident exposes vulnerabilities in Japan’s security system and a failure to institute changes following the killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe during an election campaign last year, four experts interviewed by Reuters said.
“There is no doubt that it was a security failure because the prime minister was giving his speech at the worst possible place where he couldn’t possibly be protected,” said Mitsuru Fukuda, a Nihon University professor specialising in crisis management terrorism.
“In light of (Abe’s) shooting, police have said their security plans would be reviewed and revised, but I don’t think they are implementing any of these measures,” he said.
Abe’s killing by a man with a homemade gun sent shockwaves through Japan, where gun crime is exceedingly rare, and prompted a review of security protocols for politicians, who routinely come in close contact with the public.
Source: iscaninfo
