The Wakayama Summary Court has approved a request from the Wakayama District Public Prosecutors Office to detain Ryuji Kimura, aged 24, for psychiatric evaluation regarding his mental state during the incident. Kimura is charged with throwing an explosive device near Prime Minister Kishida moments before he was scheduled to give a speech in the city of Wakayama.
Experts will start examining Kimura’s psychiatric condition starting on May 23 and will continue until September 1. During this period, they will carefully assess and evaluate his mental state and any relevant factors related to the incident.
According to sources involved in the investigation, Kimura has chosen not to provide any information regarding the accusations against him, and his motives for the incident are still unknown. Law enforcement authorities are planning to further investigate Kimura’s psychiatric and living conditions during his examination. Based on the findings, they may consider adding charges of attempted murder and a violation of the Criminal Regulations to Control Explosives.
Kimura had previously filed a lawsuit against the national government, alleging that the age requirements preventing him from running in the July 2022 House of Councillors election were unconstitutional. Investigators are closely scrutinizing his motives, suspecting that his frustrations with the Japanese electoral system may have played a role in the commission of the crime.
