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Notorious Japanese Politician Tachibana Takashi Attacked With Blade, Survives
A 30-year-old is in police custody on attempted murder charges after trying to kill the head of the Protect The People From The NHK Party.
By Jay Allen
Tachibana Takashi is known in Japan for his ability to make headlines. Not in a good way, sadly. This week, however, he made the news after someone decided to cross the line from political disagreement to political violence. The attack was apparently motivated by Tachibana’s involvement in a scandal in Hyogo Prefecture.
Not a life-threatening injury
Tachibana, the head of Japan’s Protect the People From the NHK party (N国; n-koku), was participating in a demonstration on March 14th, calling for the dismantling of Japan’s Ministry of Finance. As described by NHK, the protestors are calling for no new tax increases and an end to Japan’s consumption tax on goods, which is currently 8% for take-home food and 10% for goods and takeout.
The demos started in December, with interest spiking in February and March. Tachibana was at the scene participating in photo ops with supporters when 30-year-old Miyanishi Shion, an unemployed man living in Tokyo’s Suginami City, attacked him with what appeared to be a 16cm-long billhook-type blade.
