TOKYO: Fragments from an explosive device thrown at Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio in the western prefecture of Wakayama last Saturday could have been as deadly as a bullet from a handgun, according to experts.

Depending on the direction of the explosion, there could have been fatalities, they said.

The Wakayama prefectural police department is investigating how lethal the device was, with a view to charging the suspect, Ryuji Kimura, 24, with attempted murder.

The device was a metal cylinder believed to have contained black gunpowder. The cylinder was found about 40 meters away from where it exploded, and a hole with what appeared to be the device’s cap was discovered on a container wall about 60 meters away.

Firearms expert Soichiro Takakura said the device appeared to be a typical pipe bomb with a fuse to be ignited by a lighter. The expert believes that it was designed to kill and injure people by scattering objects like metal nuts and others.

Considering the scattering distance, the device was as powerful as a small-caliber handgun, Takakura said. “In a worst-case scenario, there could have been fatalities.”

As for why the device did not explode immediately after being thrown at the prime minister, Takakura speculated that the gunpowder got moist on the way from the suspect’s home to the scene.

The explosion itself was “successful” because the device was ignited and scattered objects, Takakura noted.

Another expert pointed out that the metal cylinder did not rupture, possibly because the blast was insufficient due to a lack of gunpowder or inadequate sealing.

Jiji Press