Japan's first Omicron case may help portray PM Kishida as decisive

A staff wearing a protective suit checks 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 coronavirus Omicron variant amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Narita, east of Tokyo, Japan, November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus on Tuesday, a day after closing its borders to all foreigners in one of the world's toughest precautionary measures.

But the case could show Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was right in making the swift closure decision, helping to avert the sort of criticism that spurred the resignation in September of predecessor Yoshihide Suga over his handling of the virus.