A car crashed into a barricade set up near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday, injuring a riot police officer who was on guard amid heightened security due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, police said.
The police arrested 53-year-old Shinobu Sekiguchi, a member of a right-wing group, at the scene for allegedly obstructing the officer's duties by hitting him with the minivehicle at around 10:50 a.m. on a street some 60 meters northwest of the embassy.
About six hours before the incident, a post believed to have been made by Sekiguchi on X, formerly called Twitter, said, "Israel is at fault for invading the Gaza Strip," according to a source close to the matter.
He admitted to the allegations and said he feels sorry for the officer, according to the police. The officer in his 20s has sustained injuries that include a broken finger.
The incident occurred amid tightened security, as various groups have been staging demonstrations near the embassy in protest of Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Israel's military has been intensifying its ground invasion of Gaza as part of its attempt to root out the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it committed a deadly cross-border attack on Oct. 7, in which hundreds of civilians were taken as hostages.
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