Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers an election campaign speech in support of the Liberal Democratic Party candidate in Urayasu, Chiba prefecture on April 15, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida resumed campaigning on April 15 after being evacuated unharmed from the scene of an apparent "smoke bomb" blast. (PHOTO / AFP)
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Sunday that Japan must do everything to ensure safety as foreign dignitaries gather for meetings of the Group of Seven industrial powers and prepare for a summit next month.
The Japanese leader was evacuated unhurt on Saturday after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said police have been instructed to boost security and the govt would do what is necessary to ensure security when Kishida hosts the May G7 summit
Speaking to reporters, Kishida said Japan must not allow acts of violence that attack the foundation of democracy.
ALSO READ: Japan PM Kishida unhurt in 'smoke bomb' scare
Kishida's bomb scare was an eerie reminder of the assassination last July of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot with a homemade gun while campaigning for a parliamentary election.
Japanese politicians are campaigning for by-elections on April 23 for the lower house of parliament.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Saturday that police have been instructed to boost security and the government would do what is necessary to ensure security when Kishida hosts the May G7 summit in Hiroshima.
READ MORE: Japanese police file new raps against Abe murder suspect
G7 foreign ministers gather on Sunday for a meeting in the resort city of Karuizawa, while the group's environment and energy ministers are meeting this weekend in Sapporo in northern Japan.