JAPAN

POLICE
SYSTEM
Law enforcement in Japan is provide by
the Prefectural Police under the oversight
of the National Police Agency (NPA).
The NPA is headed by the National Public
Safety commission thus ensuring that
ensuring that Japan’s police are an
apolitical body and free of direct central
government executive control. They are
checked by an independent judiciary and
monitored by free and active press
SCOPE
 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
 NATIONAL POLICE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
 NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY
 REGIONAL POLICE BUREAUS
 PREFECTURAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS
 LOCAL AND CITY POLICE STATION
 LOCAL POLICE POST
 RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING
 PROMOTION
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION

A civilian commission which supervises the NPA with respect to most aspect
of police organization and administration including training, equipment, recruitment,
communication and criminal statistic.

Further, it has the authority to appoint or dismiss senior police officers.

Composition of the NPSC

 Chairman with the rank of Minister of State

 Five members appointed by the prime minister with the concern of both houses
of the Diet.
NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY
The central coordinating body for the entire police system. The NPA determines
general standards and police; detailed direction of operations is left to the lower achelons.
It is headed by a commissioner general who is appointed by the NPSC with approval of
the prime minister. The NPA provides funding for the local police needs such as;

 Equipment
 Salaries
 Riot control
 Escort
 Natural disasters
 Handles all matter of national security
The Central Office includes the Secretariat, with divisions for;

 General operation
 Planning
 Information
 Finance
 Management
 Procurement
 Distribution of police equipment
 Five Bureaus
Five Bureaus
 Police Administration Bureau
The administration bureau is concerned with police personnel, education,
Training, and unit inspection.
 Criminal Investigation Bureau
It is in-charges of research statistic and the investigation of nationally and
Important and international cases.
 Traffic Bureau
It is concerned of the licenses drives,enforces traffic safety laws, and regulates
Traffic.
 Security Bureau
Its formulates and supervises the execution of security policies.
 Regional Public Safety Bureaus
The NPA has seven regional police bureaus , each responsible for a number of
Prefectures which is headed by a Director and they are organization similar to the
Central Office.
REGIONAL POLICE BUREAUS
• Tohoku- Aomori , Iwate, Migagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima Prefectures

• Kinki/Kansai – Shiga, Kyoto , Osaka , Hyogo,Nara, and Wakayama Prefectures

• Shikoku – Tokushina, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi Prefectures

• Kanto –Ibaraki,Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Nigata, Yamanashi,

Nagano, Shizuoka Prefectures

• Chubu –Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukul, Gifu, Aichi , Mie Prefectures

• Kyushu- Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima ,

Okinawa Prefectures

• Chugoku – Tottori , Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures

PREFECTURAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters
are excluded from the jurisdiction of RPBs.
The head of Metropolitan Police Department is the Superintendent General and that
Of the Prefectural Police headquarters is the Chief.

Prefectural Police – Prefecture refers to the Japan sub-national jurisdiction. In Japanese,

They are commonly referred to as todofuken.One “metropolis” (to), Tokyo; one “circuit”
(do), Hokkaido; two urban prefectures (fu), Osaka and Kyoto ; and 43 other prefectures
(ken) Prefectures are governmental bodies larger than cities, town and villages.
LOCAL AND CITY POLICE STATION and LOCAL POLICE POST

KOBAN – is a police post located

in urban neighborhood. In large
cities , a koban can be found in
every few blocks.
For the most part, it functions as
a community safety center.
Duties of a Koban Officers:
 Administrative Service

 Initial response to incidents and accidents

 Prevention of crimes and accidents

CHUZAISHO – is the rural equivalent
of the urban Koban.Rural police
officers are kwon as chusaishan who
lives with his family in a small house
provide by the government that
Also serves as an office for conducting
police business.
IMPERIAL GUARD
It provides personal security for the
Emperor, Crown Prince and other members
of the family of Japan , as well as protection
of imperial properties , including the Tokyo
imperial Palace , Kyoto imperial Palace,
Katsura imperial Villa(both Kyoto) Shosoin
Imperial Respository in Nara and the Imperial
Villas as Hayama , Konagawa
and Nasu, Tochigi.
KIDOTAI ( SPECIAL RIOT POLICE)

These units were formed after riot

at the Imperial Palace in 1952, to respond
quickly and effectively to large public
disturbances. They are used in crowd control
during festival periods, times of natural
disaster, and to reinforce regular police
when necessary. Training is constant and
focuses on physical condition , mock battles
and tactical problems
SPECIAL ASSAULT TEAM (SAT)
It is the official paramilitary
anti-terrorist unit under the Japanese
National Police Agency.
Ranks of Japanese Police

Police officers are divided into nine ranks, namely;

Keishi-sokan Superintendent General
Keishi-kan Superintendent Supervisor
Keishi-cho Chief Superintendent
Keishi-sei Senior Superintendent
Keishi Superintendent
Keibu Police inspector
Keibu-ho Assistant Police Inspector
Junsa-bucho Police Segeant
Junsa Policeman

The commissioner-General of the NPA also the status of police officer and functionally
Holds the highest position in the Japanese police forces but he does not have a police
rank
RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING
Education is highly stressed in police
recruitment and promotion . Entrance
To the force is determined by examinations
administered by each prefecture. Examinees
are divided into group: upper-secondary-school
graduates and University graduates .Recruits
underwent rigorous training- one year for upper
-secondary School graduates and six months for
university graduates- at the residential police
academy attached to the prefectural headquarters.
On completion of basic training,most police
officers are assigned to local
 Regional National Police
Police School Academy

Sergeant Inspector Chief Inspector

Administrative course Appointment as Chief of
Appointment course Appointment course Appointment course
3-weeks Police Station
6 weeks 8 weeks 3-months

Prefectural Police
POLICE SCHOOL School

UNIVERSITY GRADUATE (15 MONTHS)

Pre- service On-the-job Pre-service Actual Exercise
Training Course Training Progress Course

6 months 3-months 2-months 4-months

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE (21 MONTHS)

Pre- service On-the-job Pre-service Actual Exercise
Training Course Training Progress Course

10 months 3-months 3-months 5-months

POLICE TRAINING SYSTEM (since 2017)

Commissioner General

Superintendent General

Senior Commissioner

Commissioner

Assistant Commissioner

Superintendent

Chief Inspector

Inspector

Sergeant

Senior Police Officer

Police Officer
Promotion
Promotion is achieved by examination
and requires further course work. Police
Officers with upper-secondary school diplomas
are eligible to take the examination for sergeant
after three years of on-the-job experience.
University graduates can take the examination
after only one year. University Graduate are also
eligible to take the examination for assistant
police inspector and superintendent after shorter
periods than upper-secondary school graduate.
RETIREMENT
Police officers of japan are
considered government employees
they are mandatorily retired at
the age of 60