'Smoke bomb' assault targets the Japanese prime ministerChina delays the visit of Blinken - FT

A loud blast was heard during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to the port city of Wakayama on Saturday, creating chaos as the crowd attempted to flee. The premier was evacuated from the scene, reportedly unharmed, and authorities have taken one suspect into custody. Multiple witnesses cited by NHK said they saw someone throw a “cylindrical silver object” immediately before the blast. The resulting panic was captured on video, showing police officers scuffling with a suspect on the ground as they attempted to subdue him. Kishida was unharmed and safely removed from the area, according to Japanese officials.

The prime minister's predecessor, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated during a public campaign event last year, with a gunman fatally shooting the former leader with a homemade firearm. A 41-year-old veteran of the Japanese military, Tetsuya Yamagami, was arrested at the scene and later confessed to the murder.