Japan’s ruling party HQ attacked with firebombs and car targets PM’s residence
Social media posts reportedly showed the attacker complaining about the amount of money required to run for office.
A man has thrown several firebombs into the headquarters of Japan’s ruling party in Tokyo, then crashed his car into the fencing of the prime minister’s residence, police said.
There were no reports of injuries.
The man, identified by police as Atsunobu Usuda, 49, was arrested on the spot on charges of obstructing the performance of official duties, although additional charges can be added later.
Although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear, reports said social media posts believed to be Usuda’s showed him complaining about the amount of money required to run for office under Japanese law, implying he had political ambitions.
The reports also quoted unidentified sources as saying Usuda had taken part in protests against nuclear plants.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has become increasingly unpopular with the public due to a ballooning financial scandal involving dubious funding and suspected tax evasion.
The party declined to comment on Saturday’s attack, referring all queries to the police.
Voting for the lower house of Parliament is set for October 27. Some politicians lost the official backing of the ruling party but are running as independents.
The party recently chose a new leader, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, hoping to present a new image, but polls show its popularity plummeting, although it is unclear whether it will lose its majority in the lower house in the election because of a splintered opposition.
Some candidates have been heckled, which is relatively rare in Japanese culture.
The Liberal Democrats have ruled Japan almost continuously over recent decades. They are credited with leading the country as it became an economic powerhouse after the devastation of the Second World War.
Then-prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022 while making a speech for a ruling party candidate during a parliamentary election.
The killer used a handmade firearm, saying he resented Mr Abe because his mother gave all his family’s money to the Unification Church, and he saw Mr Abe as affiliated with that church. Such ties are still ongoing with some ruling party politicians.
