In a significant development ahead of the October 27 general elections, Tokyo Police on Saturday (October 19) arrested a 49-year-old man on charges of throwing what appeared to be several firebombs into the headquarters of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
According to information released by local media, the incident occurred around 6 a.m. when the suspect drove a van in front of the LDP headquarters and threw five or six firebombs. Police reported that the fire was immediately extinguished, and no one was injured. However, they added that the suspect then tried to ram the vehicle into the premises of the Prime Minister's office (which was around 15 mins far from the incident site) but was blocked by a fence.
The police stated that the suspect even attempted to throw a smoke bomb onto the ground but was subdued by officers. According to details released by local media, as the suspect was apprehended, police also confiscated about 10 poly tanks and what appeared to be unused firebombs from the van he was driving. They stated further investigation into the incident is underway.
Significantly, it is important to note that the development comes mere days ahead of the general elections scheduled in Japan for October 27. While the ruling LDP, which has witnessed a falling popularity in recent months, will contest under the leadership of newly elected Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, although it's still unclear whether they will lose their majority grip on the lower house or refill their position given the splintered opposition
'Democracy must not succumb to violence'
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of today's incident, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba emphasized that "democracy must not succumb to violence." He was speaking at a public event when he condemned the incident in the strongest of terms. "We will take all possible measures to ensure that elections and democracy are not destroyed, and above all to ensure that the safety of the people is properly protected," a Japanese media outlet quoted the Prime Minister saying.
