Following the explosion on Saturday at the speech site of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida, the country's chief cabinet secretary said he had instructed the National Police Agency to take thorough measures to protect officials.

Matsuno Hirokazu told reporters that the election system is the foundation of democracy and that violent acts like this will not be tolerated.

Matsuno referred to Kishida's decision to continue campaigning after the incident. He said that elections shouldn't be threatened or hindered by violence.

Izumi Kenta, the head of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party said any act that threatens politicians and citizens is unacceptable.

He said, "Political activities should never be curtailed or restricted by violence or intimidation."

The attack on Kishida is receiving a lot of attention overseas.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a message on Twitter referring to Kishida as "my friend." Modi said he is relieved Kishida is safe, adding that India condemns all acts of violence.

Many foreign media are reporting the news and are also referring to the shooting murder of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo while he was making a campaign speech last July.

The BBC reported the Kishida incident as breaking news, pointing out violent attacks are very rare in Japan. It said Japanese people have become more concerned about security for politicians since Abe was killed.

The AFP news agency said the incident had taken place less than a year after Abe's assassination. It said Abe's death had shocked Japan and prompted the government to review security protocols for officials.