[imagesource:youtube/guardian]

Nine months after the assassination of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in July last year, his successor, Fumio Kishida had an apparent little bomb scare.

Thankfully for Kishida, a quick-thinking bodyguard was nearby to kick a silver cylinder away before releasing his collapsible, handheld ballistics shield briefcase to protect the new PM.

The internet has praised the swift moves of the bodyguard, with reports emerging that he might have narrowly avoided a suspected pipe-bomb attack this weekend.

Moments after the bodyguard made his moves, the bomb exploded loudly, filling the air with white smoke and sending people screaming and running.

Japanese PM Kishida being protected by a bodyguard with a bulletproof briefcase pic.twitter.com/9ikiM9RQgR

— ꀭeͤ✞ꌚe͎n̆̈ ⊍תּḋᥑy҉҉ (@JetsenSunday) April 15, 2023

Mr Kishida was evacuated unharmed, reported The Independent:

Police recovered two pipe-shaped objects with conducting wires from the scene on Saturday, one of which was unexploded. Only one person was injured by the device that went off – a police officer whose arm was cut by shrapnel. It is thought that the bomb did not fully explode.

Officers are working on the possibility that both of the devices were homemade pipe bombs, and are still investigating whether they were intended to be lethal, The Japan Times quoted investigators as saying.

Again, this is just under a year since Abe was shot and killed by a lone assailant with a homemade gun while the then-prime minister was delivering a speech at a campaign event.

Mr Kishida was giving a speech in Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama, western Japan on Saturday when the incident happened.

Surveillance footage of Japanese PM Kishida protected and saved by his bodyguard as an explosive was thrown in the middle of the speech.#Sudan #السوادن pic.twitter.com/pTTuKOltY3

— Aqssss (@AqssssSelin) April 17, 2023

The suspect – identified as 24-year-old Kimura Ryuji, a resident of Kawanishi City in Hyogo prefecture – was pinned to the ground before removing him from the scene:

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, NHK reported, with police checking his home for bomb-making paraphernalia.

Mr Kishida has promised to tighten security around the visits of G7 dignitaries to his country, beginning with beefed-up security for climate ministers gathering in Sapporo at the weekend.

South Africa will be safe as we have been snubbed from these G7 meetings.

[source:independent]