Japan's Kishida takes daring stand after blast at rally, vows to continue holding speeches

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took to Twitter on Saturday to deliver his first remark since an explosion at a port in Wakayama City disrupted his rally and prompted his evacuation. Unharmed and seemingly undeterred, Kishida vowed to stand at the forefront of public speeches and rallies as the country begins to hold elections. 

"We are now holding elections, the most important part of democracy for our country. I have to ask each and every one of you, who are the main players in this country, to clearly show your thoughts. With that thought in mind, I continue to stand on the stage of street speeches," he said in a tweet. 

いま私たちは、私たちの国にとって民主主義にとって最も大切である選挙を行っています。この国の主役である皆さん1人1人の思いをしっかり示して頂かなければなりません。
その思いで私は街頭演説の場に立ち続けます。
この大切な選挙を、ぜひ国民の皆さんと力を合わせて、最後までやり通す覚悟です。 pic.twitter.com/ALbamNBZfQ

— 岸田文雄 (@kishida230)

衆議院和歌山1区の【門博文】@kado_wakayama さん、私たち自民党が自信と誇りを持って公認をした候補者に、ぜひ皆さんの力で押し上げていただきたいと思っております。どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

— 岸田文雄 (@kishida230)

Japan PM Kishida resumes political campaign after explosion at rally

"I am determined to carry this important election through to the end, working together with the people," he said in his first tweet since Saturday's explosion," he added. Kishida also urged Hirofumi Kado of Wakayama District 1 of the House of Representatives to use his power to support a Liberal Democratic Party candidate that he endorsed during Saturday's ill-fated rally.

"I would like you to use your power to boost the candidate that we, the Liberal Democratic Party, endorsed with confidence and pride. Thank you very much," he wrote. Kishida's remarks come after a bomb scare ensued at his rally at Wakayama's Saikazaki fishing port when an unidentified man threw an explosive directly at him.

The Japanese PM was immediately rushed to safety, and the suspect was arrested at the scene by authorities. The incident comes merely nine months after Kishida's predecessor Shinzo Abe was assassinated in the middle of a political campaign speech in Japan's western city of Nara. It also comes before a string of Group of Seven (G7) ministerial meetings that are slated to commence this weekend in Hiroshima.