Japan PM, Fumio Kishida, safe after ‘smoke bomb’, G7 FM meeting unchanged

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from a port in Wakayama after a blast was heard, but he was unharmed in the incident, local media reported Saturday.

Several reports, including by Kyodo news agency, said an apparent “smoke bomb” had been thrown but there were no immediate signs of injuries or damage at the scene.

The blast that occurred at a venue in Wakayama where Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was giving a speech should not affect the timetable of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Karuizawa slated for April 16-18, the organizers told TASS on Saturday.

"So far, we have not received any instructions to amend the schedule of events," one of the organizers said.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has canceled a public performance in Wakayama City. Earlier, there was an explosion near the place where the head of the cabinet of ministers was supposed to speak.

The explosion that thundered in the city of Wakayama before the speech of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was carried out by a 24-year-old man, reports the Japanese agency Kyodo.