Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was out campaigning in April when a man threw a home-made pipe bomb at him; he wasn’t hurt but 2 others were. Suspect Ryuji Kimura was arrested on the spot.

A request for it to disband could be filed with the court as soon as October, and comes after an investigation of the church regarding alleged illegal donations and ‘spiritual sales’.

Police have made significant changes to the ways they handle politicians’ security after the ex-prime minister was gunned down on July 8 last year.

Koichi Tani, chair of Japan’s National Public Safety Commission, is under fire after he ‘fully savoured, finished’ his lunch of eel rice before responding to smoke bomb attack on PM Kishida.

Nearly 40 per cent of respondents to a survey said they had lost trust in religion over the past two years, with some saying they have no reason to visit a Buddhist temple any more.

While some analysts lament ‘another serious lapse by the police’, others say ‘G7 leaders have little to worry about’ when they meet in Hiroshima next month.

Japan must not allow acts of violence that attack the foundation of democracy, Kishida says, calling the incident ‘unforgivable’.

Kishida, who was unhurt in the incident in western Japan’s Wakayama, apologised for ‘worrying many people’.

Lingering factional infighting, Kishida’s unpopular plan to increase taxes for defence spending and the public’s ‘deep disappointment’ with his leadership have led to a reassessment of his predecessor’s achievements.

After claiming he killed the former leader because of apparent links to a religious group, Tetsuya Yamagami underwent months of psychiatric evaluation that showed he is fit to stand trial.

In this edition of the Global Impact newsletter, we look back at the events that unfolded in 2022 and also looks ahead to what we can expect in 2023.

The Nara District Prosecutors Office earlier extended the detention of Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, to carefully examine whether he was mentally fit to withstand trial.

Right-wing members of ruling LDP strongly oppose proposals for higher taxes, with one minister daring Kishida to sack her.

In the public vote for the kanji character best representative of 2022, ‘war’ was chosen in a year of the Ukraine war and assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.

Believers, other donors and their families can now seek the return of their money – religious groups and other organisations are prohibited from soliciting funds by coercion, threats or linking donations to spiritual salvation.

Justice minister, Yasuhiro Hanashi, made light of his duties, specifically signing off on executions, which he called ‘tedious’. His resignation comes less than a month after economic revitalisation minister Daishiro Yamagiwa left.

Akie Abe fanned speculation she is considering taking over her late husband Shinzo Abe’s constituency when she spoke during a funeral service for the slain former Japanese leader.

The EU estimates about 35 million illicit weapons are in the hands of civilians across the 27-nation bloc – about 630,000 firearms are listed as stolen.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has to take Xi’s re-election as a window of opportunity to move past Abe-style diplomacy, which often caused China to adopt a tougher stance toward Japan as well as fraying bilateral relations, pundits say.

Group has been under the spotlight since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was gunned down in July by a church member’s relative who held a grudge against the organisation and believed Abe was a supporter.

Past visits to controversial Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese prime ministers have drawn harsh criticism from China and South Korea, who view it as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.