Japan’s ruling party HQ attacked with firebombs and car targets PM’s residence
A man has thrown several firebombs into the headquarters of Japan’s ruling party in Tokyo, then crashed his car into the fencing of the prime minister’s residence, police said.
There were no reports of injuries.
The man, identified by police as Atsunobu Usuda, 49, was arrested on the spot on charges of obstructing the performance of official duties, although additional charges can be added later.
Although the motive for the attack was not immediately clear, reports said social media posts believed to be Usuda’s showed him complaining about the amount of money required to run for office under Japanese law, implying he had political ambitions.
The reports also quoted unidentified sources as saying Usuda had taken part in protests against nuclear plants.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has become increasingly unpopular with the public due to a ballooning financial scandal involving dubious funding and suspected tax evasion.
The party declined to comment on Saturday’s attack, referring all queries to the police.
Voting for the lower house of Parliament is set for October 27. Some politicians lost the official backing of the ruling party but are running as independents.
The party recently chose a new leader, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, hoping to present a new image, but polls show its popularity plummeting, although it is unclear whether it will lose its majority in the lower house in the election because of a splintered opposition.
Some candidates have been heckled, which is relatively rare in Japanese culture.
The Liberal Democrats have ruled Japan almost continuously over recent decades. They are credited with leading the country as it became an economic powerhouse after the devastation of the Second World War.
Then-prime minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in 2022 while making a speech for a ruling party candidate during a parliamentary election.
China's consulate in Myanmar hit with explosives
A Myanmar official in Mandalay has also confirmed there had been an incident at the Chinese consulate in the Mandalay City office compound.
China's consulate in Myanmar attacked by explosives. / AP archive
China's consulate in Myanmar's Mandalay City was attacked with an explosive device, local media has said, adding that no deaths or injuries were reported.
The blast occurred at the consulate office in central Mandalay, south of the sprawling Royal Palace, around 1230 GMT Friday, local media said.
China is a major ally and arms supplier to Myanmar's junta, but it also maintains ties with ethnic groups fighting the military in Myanmar's northern Shan state, according to analysts.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military deposed the government of Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power in 2021.
A Myanmar official in Mandalay confirmed to AFP there had been "an incident at the Chinese consulate office compound in Mandalay late evening yesterday".
"There was no one injured," the official said, without specifying the nature of the incident.
The Irrawaddy outlet reported a grenade had been thrown at the compound, which is usually guarded by members of Myanmar's security forces.
The Voice of Myanmar reported the consulate had been hit by an unidentified "explosion" without giving details.
China's embassy in Yangon did not respond to AFP's queries, and a junta spokesman was unreachable for comment.
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