Kishida Attack Suspect Says He Wanted to Draw Attention

   Wakayama, Feb. 6 (Jiji Press)--A man charged with throwing an explosive at then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April 2023 told a court hearing Thursday that he wanted to draw attention to his lawsuit against the government over election eligibility.
   "I thought making a big noise near a famous person would attract attention" to the lawsuit, Ryuji Kimura, 25, said at Wakayama District Court.
   Kimura revealed that he initially planned to throw an explosive near Kishida when the prime minister visited Yumeshima, an artificial island in the western city of Osaka, to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the 2025 World Exposition, two days before the attack in Wakayama, south of Osaka, but abandoned the plan because he could not find the prime minister.
   The defendant also said that prior to the April 2023 incident, he tested a homemade explosive in a mountainous area near his home and felt that it was not dangerous, although it made a big sound.
   Meanwhile, he said he developed his hope of becoming a politician while attending a vocational school to become a nutritionist, where he learned about malnourished children. "I thought that becoming a politician was the best way (to help such children)," he said.

(2025/02/06-19:54)

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