17-04-2023, 08:25 AM
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
yesterday
......
“I never thought a crime like this would happen in my hometown, which is a rather small fishing area,” Konishi, 41, said Sunday as he sipped a can of coffee at the port of Saikazaki. “I’m still shocked and stunned.”
The prime minister was unhurt but like many others in Japan Konishi was mulling Sunday what the country should do to better protect public figures.
“At a time when Japan’s serving prime minister was visiting, perhaps we may have needed a metal detector,” Konishi said.
Masaki Nishide, a 55-year-old fisherman from Saikazaki, said most of the people at Saturday’s event were residents and supporters of the local candidate. He said the young man carrying the silver-gray backpack stood out.
“People here all dress like me, and nobody carries a backpack; it was only him,” Nishide said, wearing a sweatsuit and red rubber boots. “If I were in charge of security, I would have asked for a bag check.”
......
The chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which also came during a campaign tour. Police tightened their protective measures after an investigation found holes in Abe’s security.
https://apnews.com/article/japan-kishida...2d89d0c40d
yesterday
......
“I never thought a crime like this would happen in my hometown, which is a rather small fishing area,” Konishi, 41, said Sunday as he sipped a can of coffee at the port of Saikazaki. “I’m still shocked and stunned.”
The prime minister was unhurt but like many others in Japan Konishi was mulling Sunday what the country should do to better protect public figures.
“At a time when Japan’s serving prime minister was visiting, perhaps we may have needed a metal detector,” Konishi said.
Masaki Nishide, a 55-year-old fisherman from Saikazaki, said most of the people at Saturday’s event were residents and supporters of the local candidate. He said the young man carrying the silver-gray backpack stood out.
“People here all dress like me, and nobody carries a backpack; it was only him,” Nishide said, wearing a sweatsuit and red rubber boots. “If I were in charge of security, I would have asked for a bag check.”
......
The chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which also came during a campaign tour. Police tightened their protective measures after an investigation found holes in Abe’s security.
https://apnews.com/article/japan-kishida...2d89d0c40d