Man arrested after car crash near Israeli embassy in Tokyo

A view of the scene after a car crashed into a barricade near the Israeli embassy in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov 16, 2023. — Reuters

TOKYO (AFP): Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday (Nov 16) after a car crashed through a barrier near the Israeli embassy in Tokyo, local media reported.

Video footage appeared to show that the small car had crashed through a temporary barrier and into a fence at an intersection around 100m from the embassy.

Media also reported that one police officer was lightly injured.

The man arrested on the spot is a member of a right-wing group and in his 50s, the reports said.

Right-wing groups in Japan are generally not known for being critical of Israel or anti-Semitic.

A fire department spokesperson said only that they received "an emergency call (for an ambulance) for 3-11 Nibancho, Chiyoda ward came at 11.57am".

Police declined to comment and the Israeli embassy could not be reached.

"Around 11.00am, I heard a huge bang, so I went outside to check out. Then I saw a policeman injured and in pain near the traffic barrier and it looked like he was bleeding. There was also a black car parked nearby," a restaurant employee working near the embassy told public broadcaster NHK.

Countries around the world have stepped up security around Israeli diplomatic missions since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on Oct 7.

Israel launched an offensive in Gaza offensive in retaliation for Hamas's brutal Oct 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians.

With Hamas-controlled authorities claiming the death toll from the offensive has now topped 11,500, including thousands of children, calls for a truce are mounting.

Japan last week supported a joint call by Group of Seven foreign ministers for "humanitarian pauses" in the conflict.

On Thursday, in response to the Israeli army's operation at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital, Japan's foreign ministry said: "We feel strong indignation on tremendous damage to innocent civilians. Attacks against hospitals or civilians cannot be justified on any ground."

Japan had previously condemned the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, offering "its condolences to the bereaved families and expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the injured."