The court described the attack as a serious challenge to democracy, poses a serious risk to many.
The court convicted a man who threw a homemade pipe bomb on former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a campaign event in 2023, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Wayama District Court said in its ruling Wednesday that Japan, 25, is aware of the possibility of death in the attack. The ruling described the attack as a serious challenge to democracy, and said it poses a serious danger to many people, according to Kyoto.
Kimura was found guilty of attempted murder in an attack on Kishida at a small fishing port in a city in western Wayama on April 15, 2023. He was also charged with four other crimes, including violations of the explosives and other weapons laws.
Kishidida was unharmed in the attack, which came less than a year after Prime Minister Abe was assassinated in July 2022 on the campaign trail.
“Severe punishments are needed to prevent copycats, and it cannot be underestimated that it has seriously disrupted the electoral system, the basis of democracy,” Judge Fukushima said, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Kimura pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder at the opening session of the trial in early February, saying he had no intention of killing Kishida. He said he was unhappy with Japan’s electoral system and wanted to attract public attention only by targeting well-known politicians.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year sentence, but Kimura’s defense team had been discussing it for three years as he denied his intention to kill Kishidida, the report said.
During the hearing during the trial, Kimura’s lawyer said his purpose was to get. [public] NHK said his charges should be “injury” rather than attempted murder.
However, prosecutors reportedly called the case “malicious terrorist laws,” and said the attackers knew his explosives were deadly.
Gun-related crimes are rare in Japan due to strict gun control laws, but there has been a series of famous knives and other attacks using homemade guns and explosives.
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