Despite Terror Report to Kishida, "I Enjoyed the Eel Rice Bowl"... Controversy Over Attitude of Japan's National Public Safety Commission Chairman

"Tense and Dutiful" Apology
Criticism Grows... Lack of Tension

The Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, who oversees the Japanese National Police Agency, recently sparked controversy by saying "I enjoyed my eel rice bowl" after being briefed on an explosive attack targeting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

According to foreign media including Kyodo News on the 26th, Koichi Tani, a seven-term member of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, attended a political rally of the Liberal Democratic Party the previous day.

At the event, after receiving a report from the police agency about the attack on the Prime Minister, Chairman Tani commented on the response by saying, "I enjoyed the eel rice bowl I was looking forward to at the inspection site."

Dani Koichi, Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Prime Minister Kishida was targeted in an explosive attack on the 15th while campaigning to support a by-election for the House of Representatives in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture. The Prime Minister evacuated the scene urgently and was unharmed.

There has been strong public criticism of Chairman Tani’s remarks, given his key role in the national police agency. Haruko Miyaguchi, a member of the House of Councillors from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, said during the upper house plenary session that day, "Can we entrust the protection and security of important figures to someone who shows no sense of crisis or tension about the incident ahead of the G7 Hiroshima Summit?" She demanded the immediate dismissal of the "Eel Rice Bowl Minister."

However, Prime Minister Kishida rejected calls for dismissal, stating, "I received reports of the incident from Chairman Tani during the trip and continued to give necessary instructions and gather information."

In Japan, the National Public Safety Commission is classified as a national police agency along with the National Police Agency. While the Commission does not command or supervise individual cases, it secures the political neutrality of the police through powers such as appointing the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency and the heads of prefectural police headquarters, as well as establishing rules regarding police activity standards.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is holding a press conference with foreign media at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo on the 20th of last month.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

As the controversy grew, Chairman Tani told reporters, "I do not think my remarks were appropriate in the sense that they could cause misunderstandings," adding, "I will continue my duties with a sense of tension."

However, criticism has not easily subsided. Jun Azumi, the Constitutional Democratic Party’s Diet Affairs Committee Chair, criticized, "As Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, he lacks a sense of tension. It may have been a joke for fun, but it shows no sense. Can the entire police force maintain tension and successfully handle the G7 Summit under such a person?"