Explosive thrown at Japan PM at campaign event; 1 hurt

April 16, 01:59 AM April 16, 01:59 AM

WAKAYAMA, Japan (WHD) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed Saturday after someone threw an explosive device in his direction while he was campaigning at a fishing port in western Japan, officials said. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air.

One police officer was slightly hurt and Kishida continued campaigning Saturday, but the chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which also came on a campaign tour and continues to reverberate in Japanese politics. Kishida was visiting Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture to support his ruling party’s candidate in a local election, and the explosion occurred just before he was to begin his speech.

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A young man believed to be a suspect was arrested Saturday at the scene after he allegedly threw “the suspicious object,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Matsuno refused to comment on the suspect’s motive and background, saying police are still investigating.

TV footage shows Kishida standing with his back to the crowd. His security detail suddenly points to the ground near him, and the prime minister whips around, looking alarmed. The camera quickly turns to the crowd just as several people, including uniformed and plainclothes police officers, converge on a young man wearing a white surgical mask and holding what appears to be another device, a long silver tube.

As they collapse on top of the man, working to remove the tube from his hands, a large explosion is heard near where Kishida had been standing. The crowd scatters in panic as police roughly drag the man away.

It wasn’t immediately clear what the explosive device was or how many the suspect had, but some reports said it was a smoke or pipe bomb, possibly with a delayed fuse.

No injuries among the crowd were reported in the incident, which came on the eve of a major international forum in Japan. Kishida was not hurt and continued his campaign speeches later Saturday, Matsuno said. One police officer was slighlty injured.

The investigation at the scene continued late into the night. Japanese media reports said the suspect refused to talk to police until his lawyer arrived.

Kishida did not mention the explosion and returned to the Tokyo region in the evening after campaigning in Chiba for another candidate.

“Elections are the core of democracy, and we should never tolerate threats or obstruction by violence,” Matsuno said.

He said he instructed national police to ensure their utmost effort for the protection of dignitaries who are visiting Japan in the period leading up to the Group of Seven summit in May.

Abe's assassination, which shocked a nation that prides itself on public safety and extremely tight gun controls, came as he delivered a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. Amid a national outcry, police have tightened their protective measures following a subsequent investigation that found holes in Abe’s security.

Security has been also ramped up in Japan as senior diplomats from some of the world’s most powerful democracies arrive for Sunday's G-7 foreign minister meetings. Kishida will host a May 19-21 G-7 leaders' summit in his hometown of Hiroshima.

One witness Saturday told NHK television that she was standing in the crowd when she saw something come flying from behind. After a sudden loud noise, she fled with her children. Another witness said people were screaming and that he saw someone being apprehended right before the explosion occurred.

Saturday’s attack comes ahead of nationwide local elections, including several by-elections for vacated parliamentary seats, with voting scheduled for April 23.

In Abe’s assassination, the former prime minister was shot with a homemade gun during a campaign speech. The suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, has been charged with murder and several other crimes, including violating the gun control law.

He told investigators that he killed Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, because of the former prime minister’s apparent links to a religious group that he hated. In statements and in social media postings attributed to him, Yamagami said he developed a grudge because his mother had made massive donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted his family and ruined his life.

Abe's assassination led to the resignation of top local and national police chiefs and a tightening of security guidelines for political leaders and other prominent people.

Kishida's government was hoping to focus world attention this weekend on the hot spring resort town of Karuizawa, where senior diplomats will gather Sunday for the so-called Group of Seven foreign ministers’ meeting.

The foreign ministers from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union are expected to focus on worries over Russia's war in Ukraine, China's increasingly belligerent rise and North Korea's provocative string of weapons' tests.

Beloved shiba inu who inspired 'Doge' meme is very sick with leukemia

Misty Severi

December 29, 02:31 PM December 29, 02:31 PM

The beloved shiba inu, Kabosu, who inspired the "Doge" meme and is known for her side-eye expression, is very sick with leukemia and liver disease, the owner shared Wednesday.

Kabosu, who is currently 17 years old and lives in Japan, first began displaying worrying symptoms on Christmas Eve, her owner Atsuko Sato said. Kabosu stopped eating and drinking voluntarily on Christmas Eve and was taken to an animal hospital where she was diagnosed with “acute cholangiohepatitis and chronic lymphoma leukemia,” Sato said.

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According to the most recent update, Kabosu has begun eating and drinking again but is very jaundiced and has badly elevated liver enzymes. However, she is on antibiotics.

“It’s going to be alright. Because we get our power from all over the world!” Sato wrote in an Instagram post. "To all of you who are worried, thank you very much."

Kabosu rose to internet fame in 2010, when an image of her with her paws folded and a quizzical expression took off on social media. Internet users have edited her face onto pastries and landmarks, following her success, and brands such as Oreo have also used the meme.

The meme has since inspired dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that was established in 2013 and was the first meme-based currency.

Lymphatic leukemia is a type of blood cancer that typically occurs in older dogs, according to VCA Animal Hospital. Kabosu is considered old by shiba inu standards because shiba inus typically live 12-15 years, according to the Miami Herald. Kabosu's other condition, Cholangiohepatitis, occurs when an animal’s gallbladder, bile ducts, and liver are inflamed, the outlet reported.

Harris condemns North Korea ICBM test, convenes sideline meeting at APEC

Naomi Lim

November 18, 01:46 AM November 18, 01:46 AM

Vice President Kamala Harris has convened a meeting of world leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bangkok, Thailand, to discuss North Korea's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into Japanese waters.

Harris encouraged North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to reengage in "serious and sustained diplomacy" as part of remarks to the press Friday afternoon local time before reporters were ushered out of the room.

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Harris, according to the White House.

Harris's comments echoed White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson's condemnation of the test, in which she advised that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.

"This launch is a brazen violation of multiple [United Nations] Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region," Watson wrote in a statement. "This action demonstrates that the DPRK continues to prioritize its unlawful weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its people."

"The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and Republic of Korea and Japanese allies," she added.

Friday's long-range missile, launched after an earlier short-range test, landed in the sea about 130 miles west of the Japanese island Hokkaido after traveling 621 miles at a height of 3,790 miles and a speed of Mach 22. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the missile could have reached the U.S.

Harris's meeting Friday was reminiscent of Biden's emergency gathering of NATO and Group of Seven counterparts this week after Poland, a NATO member, reported a Russia-made missile killed two people in its Ukrainian border town of Przewodow.

Evacuations requested as volcano in western Japan erupts

Brady Knox

July 24, 09:05 AM July 24, 09:17 AM

A volcano called Sakurajima located on Japan's significant western island Kyushu erupted on Sunday, prompting authorities to purchase locals to evacuate.

The eruption induced the Japanese Meteorological Agency to increase the warn level from 3 to 5, the highest notify amount feasible. A amount 5 warning phone calls for neighborhood residents to evacuate straight away, in accordance to the agency's web-site.

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The volcano erupted at 8:05 p.m., and so far, there have been no reports of harm, in accordance to Reuters. Experiences of volcanic stones were being documented 1.5 miles absent from the volcano, in accordance to the WHD News, citing regional sources.

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Sakurajima is a person of Japan's most active volcanoes. It is located in the vicinity of the town of Kagoshima, with 600,000 inhabitants.

White House reacts to Shinzo Abe taking pictures in Japan

Abigail Adcox

July 08, 09:12 AM July 08, 09:13 AM

The White House claimed it was "stunned and saddened" to hear about the taking pictures of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The Biden administration mentioned its "feelings are with his family members and the persons of Japan" subsequent stories that Abe was shot and later on died from his accidents in Nara, Japan.

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"We are carefully checking the reports and maintaining our views with his household and the people of Japan," a White Dwelling spokesperson told CNN.

Abe was making a campaign speech all-around 11 a.m. community time Friday in advance of an election Sunday for the higher dwelling of the Nationwide Diet regime, Japan's parliament, when he was shot. He was flown to a nearby healthcare facility for procedure, in which he was pronounced useless following resuscitation attempts, together with medical procedures and a blood transfusion, unsuccessful.

Previous President Donald Trump also reacted to the news, calling Abe a "terrific gentleman and chief" and a "true friend."

"Certainly devastating news that former Primary Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, a definitely good gentleman and leader, has been shot, and is in pretty severe affliction. He was a accurate pal of mine and, substantially a lot more importantly, America," Trump said in a statement posted to Real truth Social.

Previous Vice President Mike Pence reported that former 2nd lady Karen Pence and he have been "deeply troubled" upon hearing the news of the taking pictures.

"Abe-san was a extraordinary leader of Japan and an unshakeable ally of the U.S. We be part of millions praying for this actually superior guy and his family members. God bless Shinzo Abe," Pence tweeted.

Abe sought to bolster ties with the United States as prime minister from 2012 to 2020, staying regarded as a pioneer of the "cost-free and open Indo-Pacific" concept that has given that been integrated into the framework for the U.S. method for the area. He was also a close ally of former Presidents Barack Obama and Trump.