Police have taken a man into custody following an explosion Sunday morning at the venue of an international skiing event in Sapporo.
There were hundreds of people at the venue, but no one was hurt by the blast, which took place at around 10:15 a.m., the police said.
They are questioning the man who was seen holding a metal pipe at the scene and who admitted being involved, police said. The pipe was about 40 to 50 cm long and had a diameter of 2 or 3 cm, they added.
Princess Akiko, the eldest daughter of the late Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a cousin of Emperor Akihito, had just finished a speech at the ceremony when the blast was heard. She was about 10 meters from the man when he was taken into custody.
The games were unaffected by the incident, according to police and participants.