Man Gets 10 Years over Attack on Ex-Japan PM Kishida

Jiji Press

11:32 JST, February 19, 2025

Wakayama, Feb. 19 (Jiji Press)—A Japanese district court on Wednesday sentenced a 25-year-old man to 10 years in prison over a high-profile attack on then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a campaign trail in the western city of Wakayama in 2023.

In a lay-judge trial at Wakayama District Court of Ryuji Kimura, who has been indicted on charges including attempted murder, public prosecutors had demanded that he be imprisoned for 15 years.

The defense had claimed that Kimura had no intention to kill anyone and that three years in prison would be appropriate as the defendant is only guilty of inflicting bodily injury.

Kimura has been charged with injuring two people by throwing an explosive at Kishida and others during the then prime minister’s campaign trip to a Wakayama fishing port on April 15, 2023. Kishida was safely evacuated at the time.