Attack on the headquarters of the ruling party and the Prime Minister’s Office in Japan

After throwing Molotov cocktails at the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Japan, a suspect who tried to enter the Prime Minister’s Office complex with his vehicle was arrested after crashing into barriers.

In the days leading up to the election to be held on October 27 in Japan, a panic over a political attack occurred. According to information obtained from the Tokyo police, at around 5:50 AM local time, Atsunobu Usuda (49) arrived at the LDP Headquarters in the Chiyoda district of Tokyo with his vehicle and threw at least 5 Molotov cocktails at the building entrance. A fire that broke out in a police vehicle that was hit was quickly extinguished, while the suspect drove his vehicle towards the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, located about 500 meters away. The suspect, trying to enter the Prime Minister’s Office complex, came to a stop by crashing into security barriers. A small fire that broke out in the suspect’s vehicle was extinguished by police teams. After the crash, the suspect got out of his car and attempted to throw an object resembling a smoke bomb at the police, but was arrested at the scene. The suspect, who did not resist the police, reportedly exercised his right to remain silent. It was learned that the suspect’s vehicle contained numerous unused Molotov cocktails and flammable materials, and a detailed investigation into the incident was launched.

Prime Minister Ishiba: “Democracy must never submit to violence”

In a statement regarding the attack while in Kagoshima Prefecture for election campaigning, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said, “Democracy must never submit to violence.” Ishiba emphasized that they would prevent all forms of violence and ensure the safety of the public, stating, “We will ensure that our democracy does not succumb to violence.”

LDP Secretary-General Moriyama: “Unacceptable”

LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, in a statement regarding the attack, reminded that the country is in an election period. Although they do not yet know the reason for the attack, Moriyama emphasized their opposition to the obstruction of democracy through violence, stating, “It is unacceptable for something like this to happen at a time when elections, which are the foundation of democracy, are approaching.” Moriyama added, “We will continue our election campaign as planned without submitting to violence,” and also mentioned that security measures would be increased during the election process.