Rockets Aimed at Nakasone’s Home, Parliament

Suspected leftist radicals fired six small homemade rockets Tuesday in the direction of Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone’s residence and Japan’s Parliament, but caused no casualties or damage, police said.

The simultaneous attacks in downtown Tokyo occurred around 5:20 p.m. as thousands of government workers were leaving their offices, but police said all six projectiles launched from two parked cars landed harmlessly.

Police said one incendiary device was found on the roof of a building near the prime minister’s official residence. Nakasone was at home at the time of the attack but was unharmed.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility. But police suspected the left-wing radical group, Senki Kyosando, which carried out simultaneous rocket attacks earlier this year on the U.S. Embassy and the Imperial Palace using similar homemade projectiles.

Police said three projectiles--aluminum cylinders filled with gasoline and attached to wooden sticks--were fired from launching tubes rigged in the trunk of a sedan parked on a street in the Kasumigaseki district, where most government buildings are situated.

“They were fired in the direction of the Diet,” or Parliament, a police spokesman said.

Two rockets flew about 200 yards and were found near the Foreign Ministry building, and the third was found near the parked car.

At the same time, three more rockets were fired from a car parked near the Hie Shrine, less than 500 yards from Nakasone’s residence.