A man, who attempted to murder former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kisida, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, by a High Court in Wakayama.
Ryuki Kimura, 25, was sentenced for trying to assassinate Kisida with a pipe bomb during an election event at a small fishing port in the western city of Wakayama in April 2023.
Although Kishida was unharmed, the explosion of the homemade device caused minor injuries to a police officer and a member of the public.
During his trial on Wednesday, the young man claimed his intention was not to kill Kishida but to object to the country’s election age regulation which prevented him from getting into politics.
Kimura further added that he threw the bomb to bring attention to a civil lawsuit he filed in 2022, claiming the age restriction was unconstitutional, which was dismissed.
Objecting to these claims, the prosecuting counsel revealed that Kimura had brought two explosive devices to the campaign event, one of which he hurled at Kishida.
According to the prosecutor, authorities discovered fragrant of the pipe bomb embedded in a container, which he asserted was a potentially lethal device.
The prosecutors also sought Kimura’s term be extended by 5 years arguing his action was a “malicious terror act”, while his defence claimed he only wanted public attention.
Kimura’s defence argued he should not face a charge of attempted murder, as he did not expect the bomb to cause injuries, and that a three-year prison sentence would be reasonable given the extent of those injuries.
When handing down the ruling, presiding judge Keiko Fukushima noted that “targeting a serving prime minister caused significant anxiety to society as a whole.
The judge said that the attack had a significant societal impact, as it targeted a sitting prime minister and spread fear.
Fukushima added that Kimura had previously sued the government over Japan’s election system, after receiving little attention on social media, deliberately targeted a high-profile figure to gain publicity.
The court ruled he knowingly threw a lethal explosive at Kishida, confirming his intent to kill, prompting the judge to sentence him to 10 years in jail.
