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.
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