Prime Minister Fumio Kishida escaped unharmed on Saturday after a loud explosion rang out just moments ahead of a planned speech in the city of Wakayama.
Before he was whisked away by security personnel, a cylindrical object was thrown and landed about 1 meter from where the prime minister was standing as he was about to begin a stump speech at a port, reports said. As police and what appeared to be bystanders subdued the suspect, a loud explosion was heard, and white smoke rose from the site.
A video posted to Twitter shows an object land near Kishida and others as what appears to be a member of his security detail from the Metropolitan Police Department quickly covers and pushes the prime minister away from the scene.