Japan safety chief under fire for ‘savouring’ eel lunch, then responding to attack on PM Kishida

Koichi Tani, chair of Japan’s National Public Safety Commission, ‘fully savoured and finished’ his lunch of eel rice before responding to attack on Kishida

Tani’s comments sparked criticism over his ‘lack of urgency’ but Kishida and some lawmakers say he handled his duties ‘adequately’

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Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission Koichi Tani has come under fire for his remark that he enjoyed eel rice so much that he kept eating even when his agency informed him of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s narrow escape from a pipe bomb attack. Photo: via AP)

Published: 7:30pm, 26 Apr 2023Updated: 8:34pm, 26 Apr 2023

Japan’s public safety chief has come under fire for his remark that he enjoyed eel rice so much that he kept eating after his agency informed him of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s narrow escape from a pipe bomb attack two weeks ago.

Koichi Tani, chair of the National Public Safety Commission for Kishida’s Cabinet, told a governing party gathering on Tuesday that he had the local delicacy in front of him for lunch when the phone rang.

“I was told that we can eat delicious unagi (eel) rice bowl there, and I was really looking forward to it,” Tani told party lawmakers. “Just as I was going to dig into it, I got a call from the National Police Agency saying something was thrown at the prime minister in Wakayama,” Tani said.

“But I fully savoured and finished … my unadon (eel rice bowl),” he said, beaming.

Tani was in the Shimanto area in the southwestern prefecture of Kochi during the attack – about 250 kilometres (150 miles) southwest of Wakayama, where a man threw an explosive device at Kishida as the prime minister was about to make a campaign speech to cheer a local governing party candidate. Kishida was unharmed and the suspect arrested.

The attack on the prime minister came less than a year after former leader Shinzo Abe was killed while delivering a campaign speech. The assassination investigation found holes in police security and led to reinforcement of dignitary protection. Experts, however, said the attack on Kishida raised questions if any lessons were learned from the Abe case.