Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party headquarters petrol bombed

At around 6:00 a.m. on October 19 (local time), a man drove a car to the headquarters of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and threw about five petrol bombs at the party headquarters.

Immediately afterwards, the suspect continued driving towards the Prime Minister's Office - about 500 meters from the scene, crashed into the barrier in front of the Prime Minister's Office and attempted to throw something (apparently a petrol bomb) but was promptly stopped by the police and arrested on the spot.

The scene of the attack on the headquarters of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. (Photo: NHK)

Fortunately, there were no casualties in the attack, but a riot police vehicle was hit and caught fire, although it was quickly extinguished.

Through on-site inspection, investigators continued to discover about 10 more plastic containers and some unused explosive mixtures (Molotov cocktails) inside the trunk of the car used by the suspect.

Tokyo Police Department is conducting a detailed investigation into the motive and related issues of the incident.

According to investigative sources, the suspect in the attack is Atsunobu Usuda (49 years old), living in Kawaguchi city, Saitama province.

A large number of police officers were present at the scene to investigate the incident in detail. (Photo: NHK)

The attack on the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters occurred as Japan prepares for its 50th general election, which will take place on October 27, when the ruling party of new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to have many advantages to win against opposition parties.

In a statement, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama stressed that although the suspect's motive for the crime is still unclear, Japan is facing a major election - which is the foundation of democracy.

Therefore, these acts of violence are extremely condemnable. The Liberal Democratic Party will absolutely not give in to violence and will conduct the election campaign as planned, taking thorough measures to ensure safety in all activities.

Meanwhile, people in Tokyo also expressed their displeasure with the attack. A woman in her 60s who lives near the headquarters of the Liberal Democratic Party said she heard the loud noise of fire trucks early in the morning, but was surprised and shocked to learn of the petrol bomb attack.

A man in his 50s who works near the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters also said he felt very scared when he heard about the attack, stressing that “violence is unacceptable” and must be severely condemned.

Ngoc Huan - Tuan Nhat (VOV-Tokyo)

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