Kishida was delivering a stump speech on behalf of a candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, ahead of local elections scheduled for Apr. 23.
The incident served as a chilling reminder of security concerns for Japanese politicians, who typically appear in public with little visible security.
Law enforcement training and preparation for security at political events came under scrutiny after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former prime minister, at a campaign event last July, when a gunman approached him from behind and fatally shot him.
Abe was assassinated in a prefecture just north of Saturday’s incident.
After being evacuated, Kishida moved on to another campaign event in the area. “I’m sorry for causing worry,” he said during his stump speech following his evacuation. “We are holding an important election right now. We have to work together to get through this.”
Lee reported from Seoul. Inuma reported from Tokyo.
