Japan's public safety chief said Tuesday that he kept eating a "delicious" bowl of grilled eel rice even as he was notified about an attack that apparently targeted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during election campaigning earlier this month, immediately triggering a backlash from opposition parties.
Kishida, however, refused opposition parties' demands on Wednesday to dismiss National Public Safety Commission chief Koichi Tani.
"I was told that he had continued to engage in tasks during a duty trip while giving necessary instructions and gathering information (on the attack)," Kishida said at an Upper House plenary session. "I want him to continue performing his duties."