Suspect arrested after Japan’s ruling party headquarters attacked with firebombs
PBS NewsHourOct 18
Tokyo Police Arrest Man After Attack on Japan's Ruling Party Headquarters
Above: A fire truck and police vehicles block off access in front of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters in central Tokyo on October 19, 2024, after a man threw Molotov cocktail-like objects outside the building and hit a riot police vehicle. Image copyright: STR/JIJI Press/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 49-year-old man from Kawaguchi, Saitama, identified as Atsunobu Usuda, on Saturday in connection with an attack on the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that morning.
He is said to have thrown six firebombs and sprayed an (as yet) unidentified liquid at the building. He later rammed his minivan into the security fence around the nearby prime minister's official residence and threw an apparent smoke bomb at police officers.
The Spin
Narrative A
For the third year in a row, Japan has experienced a severe act of political violence — and this instance has come just a week before a general election. While the country is historically no stranger to such incidents, this new trend is deeply concerning, as desperate lone wolves are getting more and more brazen.
Narrative B
This attack was indeed a grave incident, and hopefully there were no serious consequences. However, one shouldn't diminish the significance of this incident but suggesting it's unconnected to growing frustration with the selective Japanese political system and the country's political elite, particularly the ongoing dominance of the long-ruling Liberal Democrats.