Japanese police are on an unprecedented level of alert over providing security to important figures ahead of the general election on Oct. 27, the first major national election since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot.
Authorities often face difficulty providing protection to key figures in elections, such as the upcoming race for the House of Representatives — the lower chamber of Japan's parliament — due to being unable to spend enough time on drawing up protection plans and securing personnel. The schedules and locations of speeches by figures such as the prime minister are often decided at the last minute.
The National Police Agency (NPA) drastically reviewed its protection protocols after Abe was shot while delivering a stump speech for a candidate of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during the campaigning for an election of the House of Councilors — the upper chamber of parliament — in July 2022. The agency introduced a system of prior screenings for security plans, which had previously been left to prefectural police.
Advance screenings by NPA and prefectural police officials of possible host sites for stump speeches also began.
But the specifics of protection plans differ even if the locations are the same, depending on the figure subject to security and the timing of events.
"Protection plans expected to undergo advance screenings (during the election campaign period) will be at least double the number in ordinary times," a senior NPA official said. The agency plans to increase personnel tasked with reviewing plans by about 20% during the period.
In April 2023, an explosive device was thrown into a venue that then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was visiting to deliver a speech. Since then, police have strongly urged political parties to hold speeches indoors, where it is easier to conduct thorough baggage inspections.
Prefectural police have also sought to strengthen their ties with politicians in order to gain understanding for the measures.
"We've frequently called (on politicians) for cooperation even when there were no plans to provide security and held meetings to exchange opinions after protection sessions," a police official from the Kyushu region said.
"The proportion of indoor venues for speeches has increased significantly," a senior NPA official said.
However, politicians tend to prefer roadside stump speeches in general elections, in order to reach the general public. "It is difficult to suddenly secure a large venue where (candidates) can keep a sufficient distance from visitors," an LDP official said.
Measures at outdoor speeches include limiting people who can stop near candidates and listen to them to those who have undergone metal detection tests and restricting those seeking to fist-bump candidates to doing so from behind a fence.
"We don't know if all candidates can do it (follow the regulations), but we want to reduce risks," said a prefectural police official from the Kanto region.
Several hundred police officers including bodyguards from Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department are needed for the protection of the prime minister, requiring the dispatch of personnel from police in nearby prefectures in some cases.
"Tensions are rising" for the first general election since the protection system overhaul, a senior NPA official said.
"We have trained for this election," another senior official of the agency said. "We are ready."
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