A Japanese court sentenced a man to 10 years in prison on Wednesday for the attempted murder in 2023 of then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a pipe bomb attack at an election event.
In the trial at the Wakayama District Court, prosecutors sought 15 years in prison for Ryuji Kimura, 25, for attempting to kill Kishida and others when he hurled a homemade explosive device at the prime minister as he approached a crowd for a stump speech in the western Japan city of Wakayama in April 2023.
The explosion caused minor injuries to a police officer and a member of the public. Kishida was unharmed.
The attack came less than a year after former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead at an outdoor election campaign event. (Kyodo)