The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida was evacuated from a port in Wakayama shortly after a blast was heard, but he was unharmed in the incident, Africa Today News, New York has gathered.
According to several local reports in Japan, an apparent ‘smoke bomb’ had been thrown but there were no immediate signs of injuries or damage at the scene.
A man was detained at the site in western Japan’s Wakayama where Kishida had been due to give a speech, national broadcaster NHK and others said.
As at the time of writing, there was no immediate official confirmation of the incident, with local police declining to comment.
Read Also: Russia Test-Fires Supersonic Missiles At Target Japan Sea
NHK showed footage of security and police detaining an individual as a crowd scattered at the scene.
Japan has bolstered security after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot and killed while speaking at a campaign event in July 2022.
The incident comes as Japan hosts G7 ministerial events in northern Sapporo and the city of Karuizawa in Nagano, and ahead of the May leaders’ summit in Hiroshima.
Security at local campaign events in Japan can be relatively relaxed, in a country with little violent crime and strict gun laws.
But the country bolstered security around politicians after the assassination of Abe, who was shot and killed while speaking at a campaign event in July 2022.
His alleged assassin, Tetsuya Yamagami, reportedly targeted him over his links to the Unification Church, and the incident sparked revelations about the connection between the sect and political figures in Japan.
Yamagami was reportedly angry at the sect over large donations his mother made to the group that left the family bankrupt.
The head of Japan’s National Police Agency resigned in the wake of Abe’s assassination after an investigation confirmed ‘shortcomings’ in the security for the former leader.
The investigation slammed a system under which local police were given responsibility for the security of visiting senior officials.
It concluded that areas south of Abe’s podium were not properly guarded, leaving an open route for the shooter to approach.
With proper security, ‘it is deemed highly probable that this incident could have been prevented,’ the report concluded.
The head of Nara’s local police also offered his tearful resignation after Abe’s death.