10-Year Sentence for Bomb Attack on Japan's Ex-PM Kishida

Ryuji Kimura has been sentenced to 10 years for throwing a homemade bomb at former Japanese PM Fumio Kishida at a campaign event in Wakayama. Charged with attempted murder and other offenses, Kimura pled not guilty to intent to kill. The attack occurred a year after Shinzo Abe's assassination.

A Japanese court has handed down a 10-year sentence to Ryuji Kimura, the man responsible for throwing a homemade pipe bomb at former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a 2023 campaign event.

The attack, which took place on April 15, 2023, in Wakayama, resulted in Kimura being charged with attempted murder and several other offenses. Despite pleading not guilty to the intent to kill, the Wakayama District Court found enough evidence for a conviction.

The incident unfolded nearly a year after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, raising concerns about the safety of political figures in Japan. Kishida escaped unharmed, though two others sustained minor injuries.