Japan’s fringe party leader injured in attack, man arrested

Published March 15, 2025 Updated March 15, 2025 06:44am

TOKYO: A Japanese politician who is the head of a fringe political party was attacked in Tokyo on Friday.

Takashi Tachibana, leader of the NHK Party, was attacked by a man with what appeared to be a large blade in front of the finance ministry.

Tachibana was conscious but bleeding from the ear before being sent to hospital.

The man who attacked Tachibana was arrested at the scene, according to Japanese news agency Jiji Press, which said that the assailant was quoted as telling investigators he did it because Tachibana was “the kind of person who drives an assembly member to commit suicide”.

This was in reference to an assembly member who died in an apparent suicide in January after Tachibana had “allegedly harassed (him) and urged supporters to protest in front of his home”, reported the Japan Times.

The NHK Party was initially founded on the call to reform Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, including for households not to pay the broadcasting fee if they don’t want to watch the channel.

The party has two upper house members, while Tachibana is a former upper house member.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2025

Must Read

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

Ukraine, Nato and the future of Europe

The spectacle of the verbal spat between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky in the Oval Office was stark evidence of a tectonic shift in longstanding US foreign policy on Ukraine, Russia, Europe and Nato.

Opinion

Editorial

After the review
Updated 16 Mar, 2025

After the review

Should prepare economy for durable growth by attracting foreign private investments to boost productivity and exports.
Embracing crypto
16 Mar, 2025

Embracing crypto

IT seems a little prod was all it took for Pakistan to finally ‘embrace the future’. The Pakistan Crypto Council...
Fault lines
16 Mar, 2025

Fault lines

IT was a distressing spectacle, though a sadly predictable one. As the National Assembly took up for discussion the...
Revised solar policy
Updated 15 Mar, 2025

Revised solar policy

Criticism policy revisions misplaced as these will increase payback periods for consumers with oversized solar systems.
Toxic prejudice
15 Mar, 2025

Toxic prejudice

WITH far-right movements on the march across the world, it is no surprise that anti-Muslim bias is witnessing high...
Children in jails
15 Mar, 2025

Children in jails

PAKISTAN’S children in prison have often been treated like adult criminals. The Sindh government’s programme to...