On April 17, DPJ Next Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi and DPJ Next Minister of Defense, Hajime Hirota issued the following comment:

On April 16 Japan time (at 14:50 on April 15 local time), a series of explosions took place at the Boston Marathon in the United States, causing many casualties, including an 8 year old child. We would like to express our deepest condolences to those killed and injured in the disaster, to their families and to all those concerned.

In the early hours of this morning here in Japan (the morning of April 16 local time), President Obama revealed that this incident was being investigated as an act of terrorism. The details of what happens still remain unclear, but such despicable acts of terrorism offend against humanity and justice. We condemn them strongly.

The Democratic Party of Japan will continue to follow developments closely. Moreover, we will make every effort to urge the Japanese government and related institutions to ensure the prevention of acts of terrorism here in Japan.