Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a man over an explosives attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during an election event in western Japan in April, after concluding that the suspect is mentally fit to be held criminally responsible.
Ryuji Kimura, a 24-year-old from Hyogo Prefecture, has remained silent since his arrest at the scene in Wakayama. While Kishida was not hurt, two people, including a police officer, sustained minor injuries.
Kimura faces charges including attempted murder, with investigative authorities determining through tests that the homemade pipe bomb used in the attack was lethal.
The indictment of Kimura followed a three-month psychiatric evaluation by prosecutors that ended Friday.
The attack took place on April 15, just before Kishida was due to make a speech at a fishing port in Wakayama. Kimura, who was in the crowd at the election event, allegedly hurled an explosive device at Kishida, who was at a distance of about 10 meters.
Kishida was whisked away and the device exploded about 50 seconds later.
The incident occurred less than a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot when giving a stump speech in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, shocking the nation where violence involving guns and explosives is rare.
Court documents show that Kimura may have harbored a grudge after being unable to file for candidacy for a House of Councillors election held last year.
He filed a lawsuit against the state with the Kobe District Court in June last year seeking 100,000 yen ($680) in damages, arguing that the requirements to be at least 30 years old and pay a deposit of 3 million yen to run in the election violated the Constitution, which guarantees equality under the law.
Kimura also submitted to the court a document criticizing Kishida's Cabinet for holding a state funeral for Abe, saying the event was "forced through with only Cabinet approval" and without parliamentary deliberations, adding "such a challenge to democracy cannot be tolerated."
The lawsuit was dismissed by the district court in November, a decision that was upheld by the Osaka High Court in May this year. Kimura did not appeal the ruling.
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