The first hearing in the trial of a man accused of throwing firebombs at riot police in front of the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo and driving a car into a fence in front of the prime minister's office opened with the defendant entering no plea to the charges against him.
He faces attempted murder and other charges over the attack, which took place the year before last, NHK reported. The hearing was cut short, and the report of the proceedings did not go beyond that.
The trial puts an attack on the two buildings at the center of Japanese political power before a court. The LDP headquarters and the prime minister's office stand close together in Nagatacho, the district that holds the party's offices, the Diet and the prime minister's residence.