A man in his 40s was arrested after throwing an object presumed to be a Molotov cocktail at the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Tokyo, Japan, and then attempting to drive a car to crash into the Prime Minister's residence.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News on the 19th, around 6 a.m. that day, the man drove a white car to the LDP headquarters in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, and threw 5 to 6 objects believed to be Molotov cocktails.
Some of the objects hit a police riot squad vehicle, but the fire was quickly extinguished and no injuries were reported, NHK said.
The man then tried to drive the car to crash into the Prime Minister's residence but was stopped by a metal fence.
He also attempted to throw an object presumed to be a smoke-emitting canister but was stopped by the police and arrested at the scene.
The distance between the LDP headquarters and the Prime Minister's residence is about a 5-minute drive.
The man is reported to have exercised his right to remain silent during police questioning, and about 10 containers believed to hold oil or similar substances were found inside the vehicle.
This incident occurred ahead of the House of Representatives election scheduled for the 27th. Hiroshi Moriyama, LDP Secretary-General, said, "Elections, which are the foundation of democracy, are in full swing, and I feel strong anger toward this act." He added, "We firmly resolve not to yield to violence" and stated, "We will proceed with election activities as planned."
Recently, during major elections in Japan, there have been incidents where key LDP figures were attacked.
Previously, in July 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed during an election campaign in Nara Prefecture ahead of the House of Councillors election.
In April last year, in Wakayama Prefecture, a man in his 20s threw an explosive device at former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a by-election campaign.
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