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Japan’s police tighten security measures after Trump assassination attempt

On Sunday, the National Police Agency ordered prefectural police departments across the country to tighten security measures for politicians at street speeches and other events following the attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Specifically, the police departments of the country’s 47 prefectures were called upon to increase their vigilance in the vicinity of the event venues and also beyond the audience retention basins.

A man opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The shots were fired from the roof of a building outside the venue, the US FBI and local media reported. Trump suffered injuries in the attack, but they were not life-threatening.

The NPA also instructed the prefectural police to ensure the use of protective devices and equipment, such as bulletproof barriers, to protect politicians from attacks from behind.

In July 2022, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in the back during a campaign speech in the western Japanese city of Nara.

In April 2023, an explosive device was thrown at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a fishing port in the city of Wakayama while he was on the campaign trail. Kishida was unharmed.

Following the incidents, the NPA is calling on organizers of speeches and other events to maintain distance between guest politicians and the audience at the venues and to use metal detectors throughout.