TOKYO: A man was taken to hospital unconscious after apparently setting himself on fire near the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday, local media said.
Initial details about the incident in Tokyo were slim, and the police and prime minister’s office declined to comment.
TV Asahi said the man set himself alight after telling police he was opposed to plans for a state funeral for assassinated former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
The television station said a police officer who tried to extinguish the fire was injured in the process.
Kyodo news agency and other outlets said police were called to the scene after reports a man was “engulfed in flames.”
It said a note was found near the man, expressing his opposition to the funeral.
Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, was shot dead on July 8 while campaigning, and a publicly funded state funeral honoring him will be held on September 27.
But state funerals are rare in Japan, and the decision has been controversial, with polls showing about half the public is opposed to the idea.
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Man sets himself on fire near Japan prime minister’s office
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Man sets himself on fire near Japan prime minister’s office
- Man immolates himself in protest of plans for a state funeral former leader Shinzo Abe
NATO chief talks Arctic security with Rubio amid US Greenland push
Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland
BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday discussed efforts to bolster Arctic security with US top diplomat Marco Rubio, after President Donald Trump insisted he wants to take control of Greenland.
The US leader has rattled allies by refusing to rule out using military force to take over the autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark.
Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security given the rising threat of Russia and China in the Arctic.
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland by emphasising steps it is taking to bolster security in the region.
A NATO spokeswoman said Rutte spoke with Rubio “on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for the 76-year-old Western military alliance.
But the head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump’s threats.
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland
BRUSSELS: NATO chief Mark Rutte on Friday discussed efforts to bolster Arctic security with US top diplomat Marco Rubio, after President Donald Trump insisted he wants to take control of Greenland.
The US leader has rattled allies by refusing to rule out using military force to take over the autonomous territory of fellow NATO member Denmark.
Trump says controlling the mineral-rich island is crucial for US national security given the rising threat of Russia and China in the Arctic.
NATO has sought to deflect Washington’s interest in Greenland by emphasising steps it is taking to bolster security in the region.
A NATO spokeswoman said Rutte spoke with Rubio “on the importance of the Arctic to our shared security and how NATO is working to enhance our capabilities in the High North.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an armed US attack to take Greenland could spell the end for the 76-year-old Western military alliance.
But the head of NATO’s forces in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said Friday the alliance was far from being in “a crisis,” following President Donald Trump’s threats.
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