TOKYO—Japanese prosecutors formally charged a 24-year-old man on Wednesday with attempted murder and other crimes in connection with the April explosives assault on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, court officials said.
Mr. Kishida was campaigning at a tiny fishing port in Wakayama, western Japan, when he was attacked with a homemade pipe bomb. Mr. Kishida was unharmed, but two others were injured.
Ryuji Kimura, 24, was detained on the scene and subjected to a three-month psychiatric assessment requested by local prosecutors to evaluate his mental fitness for trial.
According to local media sources, police and prosecutors found that the explosive used in the attack was possibly fatal.
According to the Wakayama District Court, which accepted the indictment, prosecutors indicted Mr. Kimura on an attempted murder charge and four others, including violations of the gun and sword control legislation and the explosives control statute.
According to court officials, no trial date has been set.
Prosecutors contend in the indictment that Mr. Kimura tossed the pipe bomb at Mr. Kishida with the intent to murder, injuring a police officer and a local person in the audience.
According to Kyodo News, investigators discovered he purchased the explosives needed to create the explosion in November, around the time he lost a case against the government over the election system.
The incident occurred almost a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was tragically shot while campaigning in Nara, western Japan.
In Japan, gun and bomb violence is uncommon, and the assaults on Mr. Abe and Mr. Kishida stunned many people. The attacks prompted increased police protection of guests and a reassessment of election campaign safety procedures.
“The attack that put at risk not only Prime Minister Kishida but also the audience during an election that forms the basis of democracy is absolutely unforgivable,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said after the indictment Wednesday. He promised utmost efforts by police to protect election campaigning and other public events.
