This file photo taken on April 17, 2023 shows Ryuji Kimura leaving Wakayama Nishi Police Station in Wakayama. [Photo/Agencies]
A man who hurled an explosive device at former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida in 2023 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On Wednesday, the Wakayama District Court delivered its verdict in the lay judge trial of 25-year-old Ryuji Kimura, an unemployed defendant accused of attacking then-Prime Minister Kishida during an election speech in Wakayama in April 2023.
Kimura faced five charges, including attempted murder and violations of the Public Offices Election Act. Presiding Judge Keiko Fukushima handed down a 10-year prison sentence, while prosecutors had sought 15 years.
The attack, which injured two people in a crowded speech venue, came less than a year after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and had a major impact on election security and VIP protection measures.
Regarding Kimura's motive, the defense explained that he was frustrated with Japan's electoral system after being barred from running in the House of Councillors election due to age and other requirements. Allegedly, he aimed to draw attention to his cause by "creating a loud noise in a place where a well-known politician was present."
During the trial, the defense acknowledged the charges, admitting that Kimura had thrown a homemade explosive device at Kishida, disrupting the election. However, the key issue was whether he intended to harm or kill people with the explosive device.
In their closing arguments on February 10, prosecutors argued that the explosive had lethal potential, citing experimental results from the National Research Institute of Police Science, which had recreated the device after the incident, according to The Asahi Shimbun, a national daily newspaper in Japan.
They contended that Kimura was fully aware of the explosive's capacity to cause harm and detonated it in a crowded area, showing disregard for possible casualties — demonstrating clear intent to kill.
Although Kishida was unharmed, the prosecution emphasized that two people were injured, an outcome that could not be dismissed. They described the attack as a dangerous and malicious act of terrorism, targeting the sitting prime minister and putting bystanders at risk indiscriminately.
In contrast, the defense argued that Kimura had no intent to kill and should therefore not be charged with attempted murder or violations of Japan's Explosives Control Law, but rather with assault, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
The defense noted that Kimura had conducted an explosion test a month before the incident and claimed, "There was enough time to escape before the explosion, and the device would shoot upwards, so I thought it was not dangerous". They maintained that this statement should not be dismissed as unreliable.
Furthermore, they argued that the exact trajectory of the explosion had not been definitively proven in court, making it impossible to establish intent to kill. Based on these points, the defense contended that a three-year prison sentence would be appropriate.
