The fishermen who tackled the man suspected of the second attack on a Japanese political leader in less than a year were surprised by the lack of security for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Fisherman Tsutomu Konishi was watching Kishida at a campaign event at this fishing port when an object flew overhead and landed near the prime minister, Konishi said. A security officer covered the object with a bulletproof briefcase, Konishi said. The fishermen swarmed the attacker. “I never thought a crime like this would happen in my hometown, which is a rather small fishing area,” Konishi, 41, said Sunday as he sipped a can of coffee at the port of Saikazaki. “I’m still shocked and stunned." The prime minister was unhurt but like many others in Japan, Konishi was mulling Sunday what the country should do to better protect public figures. “At a time when Japan’s serving prime minister was visiting, perhaps we may have needed a metal detector,” Konishi said. Masaki Nishide, a 55-year-old fisherman from Saikazaki, said most of the people at Saturday’s event were residents and supporters of the local candidate. He said the young man carrying the silver-gray backpack stood out. Also Read: Japanese PM unhurt after blast during campaign event “People here all dress like me, and nobody carries a backpack; it was only him,” Nishide said, wearing a sweatsuit and red rubber boots. “If I were in charge of security, I would have asked for a bag check.” After the failed attack on the prime minister, one of the fishermen grabbed the suspect's neck from behind, another pushed his head down, and Konishi latched onto his leg. They were holding the man as police officers pulled him to the ground. The chaotic scene was reminiscent of the assassination nine months ago of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which prompted police to tighten their protective measures after an investigation found holes in Abe’s security. Abe, one of Japan’s most influential and divisive politicians, was killed with a homemade gun during a campaign speech. Also Read: Explosion at Japan port during PM Kishida visit, no injuries Suspect Tetsuya Yamagami has been charged with murder and several other crimes, including violating gun-control laws. Authorities have said Yamagami told investigators he killed Abe because of the former prime minister’s apparent links to a religious group that Yamagami hated. In statements and in social media postings attributed to him, Yamagami said his mother's donations to the Unification Church bankrupted his family and ruined his life. Violent crimes are rare in Japan, and with its strict gun control laws, the country has only a handful of gun-related crimes annually. Most of the cases are gang-related, though in recent years there has been growing concern about homemade guns and explosives. There also have been some high-profile cases of random knifing on subways and arson attacks. Groups of several officers have guarded serving prime ministers. Fewer officers have been watching Cabinet ministers and former leaders. Compared with the U.S. elections, audience at political campaigns in Japan are often allowed to be quite close to dignitaries. At the campaign event for Kishida the front-row audience was within touching distance. Only one person, a police official, was hurt, his arm cut by fragments of the device, which didn't fully explode. Police arrested 24-year-old Ryuji Nakamura on suspicion of throwing an explosive in a metal tube at Kishida. Police sent a special counter-explosives team to the suspect's home in Hyogo prefecture to search for evidence of bomb-making. There are nationwide local elections this month. and Japan is hosting a series of Group of Seven meetings leading up to the May 19-21 leaders' summit in Hiroshima. Diplomats arrived Sunday for the G-7 foreign ministers' meeting in Karuizawa. Isao Itabashi, a public safety expert, said on NHK TV that the attack raised questions about how election campaigns are being handled. Guarding top politicians in campaigns is logistically hard, and balancing tight security with a free election is also difficult, he said. Kiyotaka Hamada, 70, a senior member of the local fishing association, said he felt something hit his shoulder just as he heard the bang and was running from the scene. Police took his jacket to see if he'd been hit by a fragment of the explosive. “I just want to ask the suspect why he had to come here to make trouble," he said. For Hamada and other fishermen, there's worry also about the expected loss of income from the days they cannot work while the port facilities are closed for the investigation. “We put so much effort throughout the village to welcome the prime minister here on his first ever visit,” Hamada said. “Now we cannot even go out to sea.”

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday blamed inadequate police security for the death of former leader Shinzo Abe, who was shot while giving an outdoor campaign speech. Abe, one of Japan’s most influential politicians, was assassinated last Friday in western Japan, shocking a nation known for its low crime rate. Photos and videos of the shooting show the gunman was able to come close to Abe. Read: Japanese say final goodbye to former leader Abe at funeral A suspect was arrested at the spot and is being detained for questioning. Police and media reports say he told investigators that a rumored link between Abe and a religious group the suspect hated was the reason he killed the former prime minister.

Fumio Kishida was reelected as Japan’s prime minister on Wednesday after his governing party scored a major victory in key parliamentary elections. Elected just over a month ago by parliament, Kishida called a quick election in which his governing party secured 261 seats in the 465-member lower house — the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber legislature — enough to maintain a free hand in pushing legislation through parliament. The Oct. 31 victory increases his grip on power and is seen as a mandate from voters for his weeks-old government to tackle the pandemic-battered economy, virus measures and other challenges. Kishida said he saw the results as a signal that voters chose stability over change. Later Wednesday, he will form his second Cabinet by keeping all but one of the ministers he appointed when he took office on Oct. 4, and then map out his economic measures and other key policies at a news conference. Read: Japan votes in national election, 1st key test for Kishida Kishida had been chosen by the Liberal Democrats as a safe, conservative choice a month ago. They had feared heavy election losses if the unpopular Yoshihide Suga had stayed in power. Suga resigned after only a year in office as his popularity plunged over criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics despite concerns of a virus surge. The better-than-expected election results may give Kishida’s government more power and time to work on campaign promises, including COVID-19 control, economic revitalization and strengthening Japan’s defense capability. Kishida’s grip on power also may be strengthened by his Cabinet changes. A key policy expert from his party faction, former Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, will be the new Foreign Minister, while former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will shift to the governing party’s No. 2 post. Motegi voted for Kishida in the party leadership race and will replace party heavyweight Akira Amari, who resigned from the post over his unimpressive election outcome due to his past bribery scandal. Though many of Kishida’s ministers are first-timers, key posts went to those from influential and party wings, including those led by ultra-conservative former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Finance Minister Taro Aso. Kishida promises to create a reinforcing cycle of growth and improved economic distribution to raise incomes under his “new capitalism” economic policy. Kishida’s immediate post-election task is to compile a major economic stimulus package of about 30 trillion yen ($265 billion) that includes cash payouts, to be announced next week. He also aims to pass an extra budget by the end of this year to fund the projects. Read:Japan's ruling party loses 1 of 2 by-elections in blow to PM Kishida At a government meeting Tuesday, Kishida renewed his pledge to create a positive cycle of growth-distribution by bolstering investment and income. Kishida is also expected to outline later this week his pandemic measures ahead of another possible surge in cases, which could affect his support ratings. As a former foreign minister, Kishida will continue to prioritize the Japan-U.S. security alliance and promote a vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” with other democracies, including Quad dialogue members the U.S., Australia and India. Kishida has stressed the importance of a stronger military amid worries over China’s growing power and influence and North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats. He has opposed changes to a law that requires married couples to adopt a single surname, which forces most women to abandon their maiden names. The Liberal Democrats are widely seen as opposed to gender equality and diversity.

Japan's parliament on Monday elected Fumio Kishida, a former moderate turned hawk, as prime minister. He'll face an economy battered by the pandemic, security threats from China and North Korea and leadership of a political party whose popularity is sagging ahead of a fast-approaching crucial national election. With his party and its coalition partner holding a majority in both houses, Kishida won by a comfortable margin against Yukio Edano, head of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Kishida and his new Cabinet will be sworn in at a palace ceremony later in the day. He replaces Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after only one year in office as his support plunged over his government's handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as the virus spread. Kishida is expected to make a policy speech in Parliament on Friday but is looking to dissolve the lower house to hold elections on Oct. 31, Japanese media reported. Observers see the early date as a move to take advantage of his government's fresh image to rally support. Read: Japan's Parliament set to formally choose Kishida as new PM Jun Azumi, senior Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker, criticized Kishida over his plan to dissolve the lower house in just over a week. “It's like a delicatessen that forces customers to buy without a chance to try samples." A former foreign minister, Kishida, 64, used to be known as a moderate but turned hawkish on security and more conservative on gender equality and other issues, apparently to show loyalty to influential conservatives in the Liberal Democratic Party and win their support. He is firmly entrenched in the conservative establishment, and his victory in last week's vote to replace Suga as the party's leader was a choice for continuity and stability over change. Kishida replaced all but two of Suga's 20 Cabinet members and 13 will hold ministerial posts for the first time, according to the lineup announced by new Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Most of the posts went to powerful factions that voted for Kishida in the party election. Only three women are included, up from two in Suga’s government. Read: Japan's next leader: Higher wages cure for pandemic doldrums Veteran female lawmaker Seiko Noda, one of four candidates who vied for the party leadership race, is becoming the minister in charge of the nation's declining birthrate and local revitalization. Another woman, Noriko Horiuchi, became vaccinations minister, replacing Taro Kono, the runner-up in the party leadership race. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, who is former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's younger brother, were retained, ensuring continuity of Japan’s diplomacy and security policies as the country seeks to closely work with Washington under the bilateral security pact in the face of China’s rise and growing tensions in the region, including around Taiwan. Kishida supports stronger Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with other like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe and Britain, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea. Kishida created a new Cabinet post aimed at tackling the economic dimensions of Japan's national security, appointing 46-year-old Takayuki Kobayashi, who is relatively new to parliament. Finance Minister Taro Aso was shifted to a top party post and replaced by his 68-year-old relative, Shunichi Suzuki. Japan faces growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, which last month test-fired ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Japan. Kishida also faces worsening ties with fellow U.S. ally South Korea over history issues even after he struck a 2015 agreement with Seoul to resolve a row over the issue of women who were sexually abused by Japan's military during World War II. Read:Japan ex-diplomat Kishida wins party vote, to become new PM An urgent task at home will be turning around his party’s sagging popularity, hurt by Suga’s perceived high-handedness on the pandemic and other issues. Kishida is expected to make a policy speech later this week before dissolving the lower house of Parliament ahead of the general election that must be held by late November. He'll also have to ensure Japan's health care systems, vaccination campaign and other virus measures are ready for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in winter, while gradually normalizing social and economic activity. Kishida said last week that his top priority would be the economy. Kishida’s “new capitalism” is largely a continuation of Abe’s economic policies. He aims to raise income of more people and create a cycle of growth and distribution. A third-generation politician, Kishida was first elected to Parliament in 1993 representing Hiroshima and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament. He escorted former President Barack Obama during his 2016 visit to the city that, along with Nagasaki, was destroyed in U.S. atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II.

Japan's Cabinet and leader Yoshihide Suga resigned Monday, paving the way for Parliament to elect Fumio Kishida as the new prime minister, who will tasked with quickly tackling the pandemic and security challenges before an imminent national election. Kishida replaced Suga as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week and is certain to win the parliamentary vote for prime minister later Monday because the party and its coalition partner control both houses. He and his Cabinet will then be sworn in at a palace ceremony, replacing Suga's. Read:Japan's ex-top diplomat Kishida to become new PM Suga leaves after only one year in office after seeing his support plunge over his government's handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Olympics as the virus spread. A former foreign minister, Kishida, 64, used to be known as a dovish moderate but turned hawkish apparently to win over influential conservatives in the party. He is firmly entrenched in the conservative establishment and his victory in the party election was a choice for continuity and stability over change. All but two of 20 Cabinet posts under Suga will be replaced, 13 them appointed to ministerial posts for the first time, Japanese media reported. Most of the posts went to powerful factions that voted for Kishida in the party election. Only three women are reportedly included, up from two in Suga’s government. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi are to be retained, ensuring continuity of Japan’s diplomacy and security policies as the country seeks to closely work with Washington under the bilateral security pact in the face of China’s rise and growing tensions in the region, including around Taiwan. Kishida supports stronger Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with other like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe and Britain, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea. Kishida is to create a new Cabinet post aimed at tackling economic dimensions of Japan's national security, appointing 46-year-old Takayuki Kobayashi, who is relatively new to parliament. Japan faces growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, which last month test-fired ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Japan. Kishida also faces worsening ties with fellow U.S. ally South Korea over history issues even after he struck a 2015 agreement with Seoul to resolve a row over the issue of women who were sexually abused by Japan's military during World War II. An urgent task at home will be turning around his party’s sagging popularity, hurt by Suga’s perceived high-handedness on the pandemic and other issues. Kishida is expected to make a policy speech later this week before dissolving the lower house of Parliament ahead of the general election expected by mid-November. He'll also have to ensure Japan's health care systems, vaccination campaign and other virus measures are ready for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in winter, while gradually normalizing social and economic activity. Kishida said last week that his top priority would be the economy. Kishida’s “new capitalism” is largely a continuation of Abe’s economic policies. He aims to raise income of more people and create a cycle of growth and distribution. A third-generation politician, Kishida was first elected to Parliament in 1993 representing Hiroshima and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament. He escorted former President Barack Obama during his 2016 visit to the city that, along with Nagasaki, was destroyed in U.S. atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II.

Fumio Kishida, the man soon to become Japan’s prime minister, says he believes raising incomes is the only way to get the world’s third-largest economy growing again. Nearly a decade after long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to “make Japan great again,” Japan is in a holding pattern, stalled both by the pandemic and by chronic problems such as an aging and shrinking population, growing inequality and stagnant incomes. Topping Kishida’s to-do list is another big dose of government spending to help Japan recover from the COVID-19 shock. Kishida says he wants to promote a “new capitalism” that would be more equitable, with fairer distribution of national wealth — the only way to get frugal Japanese families to spend more. Read: Japan ex-diplomat Kishida wins party vote, to become new PM “Unless the fruits of growth are properly distributed, a ‘virtuous cycle of growth and distribution’ cannot be realized,” he told reporters after he overwhelmingly was elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday. “I would like to take economic measures to raise the incomes of many of you.” Despite his ambitious talk, Kishida is viewed as an establishment choice, not a reformer. He's a former banker and solid member of the political elite: his father and grandfather also were politicians. Analysts say Kishida, who is all-but-certain to be elected prime minister by Parliament on Monday, is unlikely to stray far from Abe's playbook of heavy doses of stimulus. Neither did the current prime minister, Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping aside after one year in office. Kishida's top priority? “The economy," he told national broadcaster NHK. He said he plans to propose a spending package worth several hundred billion dollars soon. His support for housing and education subsidies should boost consumer spending, said Naoya Oshikubo, senior economist at SuMi TRUST. He expects a “tailwind for the stock market, as it will make clear that ex-Prime Minister Abe’s economic policies will continue." Under Kishida, the Bank of Japan is likely to stick to its years-long efforts to spur growth by keeping interest rates near zero — making borrowing cheap — by pouring trillions of yen (hundreds of billions of dollars) into the economy through asset purchases. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.4% in morning trading Thursday after data showed factory output and retail sales weakened in August as the country buckled down to fight the pandemic. Share prices are near their highest levels in three decades, but that wealth is not trickling down to average Japanese. Their incomes adjusted for inflation have been falling. Meanwhile, jobs are growing less secure as companies increasingly rely on part-time and contract workers to keep costs low — the average minimum wage in Japan is only 930 yen ($8.30), while the cost of living is higher than in many Western countries. Read: Japan’s ex-top diplomat Kishida to become new PM The number of families relying on Japan’s meager welfare benefits surged during the pandemic, and poverty has increased, especially in families headed by single mothers. What was labeled the “lost generation” during Japan’s long years of stagnation has become an “underclass” accounting for about four in 10 Japanese, says Waseda University professor Kenji Hashimoto. He and other experts believe the post-World War II formula that made Japan an industrial powerhouse is outdated. A soft-spoken pragmatist, Kishida has not spelled out in detail his vision for “new capitalism" and it's unclear if he has an overarching strategy for tackling the longer term problems that are constraining growth. That means other party leaders, the central bank and the bureaucracy may have greater sway and could stymie big changes such as labor reforms that economists say are hindering improvements in productivity. With nearly a third of the population already 65 or older, costs for health care and pensions are soaring, and ordinary families are footing a growing share of the bill. Kishida says the sales tax, now at 10%, should not be raised for about a decade to avoid snuffing out a revival in demand. Corporations are holding a growing share of wealth, hoarding their earnings and paying lower taxes: As of June 30, 2020, retained corporate earnings in Japan totaled nearly 460 trillion yen (about $4.2 trillion) Poverty is generally hidden away in affluent, orderly Japan, and homelessness is not as prevalent or visible as it is in the U.S. and some other countries. But living standards are falling and will keep declining unless the value of work per person rises as the population declines. Raising productivity also is key to raising wages economists say. Despite the famous efficiency of manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corp., Japan ranks 21st among the 36 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Its per-hour productivity was under $50 in 2018, compared with nearly $75 per hour in the U.S. and about $102 in Ireland. Read: Japan's PM Suga steps down Kishida has said little about the productivity problem, though he is getting a head start on one area of reforms: what the Japanese call “digitization." The slow and clumsy handling of pandemic relief payments and vaccinations drove home the urgency of modernizing Japan’s data sharing and public services. A new Digital Agency was launched on Sept. 1 to lead a shift away from reliance on fax machines, handwritten documents and ink stamps, helping streamline red tape. Such changes are necessary but won't fix the economy, Richard Katz, editor-in-chief of The Oriental Economist, said in a recent online briefing. “There are a whole bunch of challenges," he said. “They're solvable but that needs a prime minister with a will to act, who has a strategy."