A court in western Japan sentenced a man to 10 years in prison on Wednesday after finding him guilty of attempting to murder the prime minister two years ago with a homemade bomb.
The court in the city of Wakayama found Ryuji Kimura, 25, guilty of attempted murder and four charges related to the possession of explosives. In its ruling, the court said Mr. Kimura had sought to kill the prime minister at the time, Fumio Kishida, when he threw the device inside a hall in April 2023.
Mr. Kishida was about to speak to political supporters when the attack happened. Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence for the attacker, who the court said acted out of a desire for public attention. Mr. Kimura had denied the attempted murder charge, saying he had not had an intent to kill.
The attack shocked Japan not only because such acts of violence are rare in the country, but also because it took place less than a year after the assassination of a previous prime minister. In July 2022, Shinzo Abe was gunned down on a street in Nara, which is near Wakayama, by a disgruntled man who had made the weapon himself.
Mr. Abe’s security detail was later faulted for allowing the gunman to get off two shots at the former prime minister, who was making a campaign speech. It was the second shot, which struck Mr. Abe in the chest, that proved fatal.
In the attack on Mr. Kishida, the premier’s security detail rushed him to safety before the bomb went off. The small explosion by the device, which appeared to be a pipe filled with gunpowder, injured two people in the hall in Wakayama, a port city south of Osaka.
After he threw the device, Mr. Kimura was wrestled to the ground by the security detail and members of the audience, who were supporters of the Mr. Kishida’s party. When police searched Mr. Kimura’s backpack, they found a second handmade explosive in addition to gunpowder and a knife.
A subsequent search of Mr. Kimura’s home found another pound of gunpowder and more pipes.
In its ruling, the court said that Mr. Kimura, who was unemployed, had tried to kill the prime minister out of a desire to gain public attention. It said he planned the attack after his postings about politics on social media failed to get much response.
The court said bomb specialists had determined that the improvised device was strong enough to have killed Mr. Kishida if it had detonated close to him.
“By targeting an acting prime minister, he caused great unease to all of society,” said the ruling, which was quoted by Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK. Mr. Kishida left office in October.
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