A security suit checked the temperature of a passenger boarding an international flight at Narita International Airport on the first day of closed borders to prevent the spread of the new coronaviruses Omicron variant in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan, on November 30, 2021. TOKYO, Nov 30 Reuters -- Japan confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant of coronaviruses on Tuesday, a day after it shuts its borders to foreigners in one of the world's toughest precautionary measures.
But the case could show that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was right in making the swift closing decision, helping to avert the kind of criticism that spurred the resignation of predecessor Yoshihide Suga over his handling of the virus.
According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, a diplomat from Namibia in his 30s who arrived at the Japanese capital's airport of Narita, showed border controls had worked.
He said that in order to avoid the worst-case situation with Omicron, we'll stay on top of the infection situation in each nation and respond quickly and efficiently, in order to respond flexibly and fast.
Kishida had pledged to bolster Japan's response to the epidemic when he campaigned to replace Suga, whose handling of the crisis left many frustrated.
Kishida said last week that he would take responsibility for all criticism of his decision to shut the country in a move that analysts said aimed at sending a strong message.
He's saying that he's a leader who's strong in a crisis, that he can make a decisive move, said Airo Hino, a professor of political science at Waseda University.
The governments before him didn't restrict travel soon enough, and he's taking that into account. He said that it was a truism of politics that how you deal with crisis can make or break a government, and that there was a rise in support for U.S. President George W. Bush after the 9-11 attacks.
The measures, which will run at least a month from taking effect on Tuesday, were generally welcomed by the public and tolerated by business leaders.
It's better this way for older citizens, said Tokiko Amemiya, an 80-year-old retiree, while a commenter on Twitter said, Thanks Kengo Sakurada, head of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives, has called the border measures regrettable but said they could not be helped.
Tourism has been a pillar of Japan's economy in recent years but the economy has limped along without them, despite a fall to zero in the number of inbound visitors since the Pandemic began last year.
Over the long term, the export-dependent economy could suffer if the new variant worsens overseas demand and snarls supply lines for Japanese companies, said Kazuma Kishikawa, an economist at Daiwa Institute of Research.
He stated that it could disrupt supply chains as seen earlier in carmakers' output cuts due to the COVID 19 spread in Asian parts factories.
Business lobbies said that the curbs are out of step with global standards and should keep out critical employees as Japan's pandemic situation subsides.
The new cases in Tokyo have recently fallen into the single digits.
The Japanese government is under pressure but we believe that current safety protocols should be more than sufficient in order to keep the population safe, said Michael Mroczek, chairman of the European Business Council in Japan.
It remains to be seen whether Kishida's gamble will pay off, said Waseda's Hino, who said that the sudden decision could cause problems for sectors of the economy that depend on foreign trainees.
A crucial election in Parliament's upper house takes place next summer.
I think chances are good it will help him out, though it may not appear in opinion polls right away, Hino said.