NCJ Number
128362
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1990) Pages: 91-110
Date Published
1990
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The Korean and Japanese police forces perpetuate their traditional profiles, but their cultures now reflect a mix of old and new, East and West, vertical and horizontal, and authoritarian and democratic tendencies.
Abstract
Each nation's particular history and police development has its own style. The Japanese force displays a "softer" authoritarianism and functions within a more highly sophisticated "new democracy:" more supportive, law abiding, and conformist. The Korean "democracy" thus far has survived on much shakier grounds than the Japanese. Korean crime rates are higher than Japanese, and the Korean police force displays a stricter authoritarian attitude and structure, is more overtly political, and is less accepted by and integrated into the populace as a whole. Corruption and bribery seem to be rife in Korea, but under control in police work in Japan. While stability, predictability, and order are traditional values in both societies and modern values are important to the goals of economic development as well, Japan has seemed more stable than Korea and more democratic than a land where morning calm continually has been shattered by political instability. Japan is better able to keep police abuse in check through social powers that are obvious and subtle, official and unofficial, and public and private. 69 notes (Author abstract modified)