Man Held after Throwing Apparent Firebombs at LDP Headquarters

From Jiji, Kyodo

October 19 2024

TOKYO – A 49-year-old man was arrested Saturday morning after throwing several objects that were likely firebombs at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters in Tokyo. 

According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the man is Atsunobu Usuda from the city of Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

The Metropolitan Police Department said there were no reports of injuries but that a police vehicle was partially burned after the man threw around five objects at the LDP headquarters. After throwing about five apparent firebombs in front of the LDP headquarters in the Nagatacho political district around 5:45 a.m., the man fled the scene in a white minivehicle.

The vehicle rammed into a barricade set up in front of the prime minister’s office, located around 650 meters away from the LDP headquarters.

The man then got off the vehicle, proceeded to throw several apparent smoke candles at police officers and others, and then set fire to his vehicle. He was arrested on the spot just after 5:50 a.m. He did not resist arrest but has remained silent during questioning.

Atsunobu Usuda’s father told reporters his son had previously been active in anti-nuclear protests and had also expressed dissatisfaction with Japan’s electoral system, where political candidates are required to deposit hefty sums of money to run in elections.

Multiple plastic tanks filled with liquid were found inside Usuda’s vehicle, along with what appeared to be homemade firebombs — glass bottles with liquid and soaked cloth inside, and flammable materials taped on the outside — while burn marks were also found inside the vehicle, according to the source.

Police also conducted a search of Usuda’s home.

The 12-day official campaign period for the Oct. 27 general election kicked off Tuesday, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeking to restore public trust in the ruling party following a slush funds scandal.

Giving a stump speech in Satsumasendai in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, Ishiba said, “Democracy should never succumb to violence.”

“I will do my utmost to ensure the safety of the people,” he said.

LDP Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama, the party’s No. 2, said he was “enraged” by the acts, adding the LDP’s campaigning will continue as scheduled.

Police officers and firefighters were seen inspecting the area in front of the LDP’s headquarters, while an entrance to the premises of the prime minister’s office was cordoned off with tape.