NCJ Number
79321
Date Published
1981
Length
258 pages
Annotation
The operations of police in Japan are examined, with emphasis on the intimate police-community relations, police approaches to dealing with various problem groups, and the organization and functioning of the police as a whole.
Abstract
The role of both rural and urban police is examined, and attention is given to the way the citizenry perceives the officer, who acts as a community information source, a social worker, a census taker, and a law enforcer. Police enjoy a high social status, particularly in rural areas, and citizens take an active part in assisting police, mainly by serving as informants. Special attention is devoted to police relations with delinquent youth, who are dealt with mostly through 'street guidance' or counseling, and with minority groups -- the Korean population and the 'burakumin,' an outcaste group traditionally working at demeaning occupations. In addition, it discusses gangsters in Japanese society and their relations with the police. An investigation of police and special problems deals with crime investigation, maintenance of public security, and regulation of businesses affecting public morals. The police force itself is analyzed. Solidarity and loyalty are strong among officers and encouraged at the time they are in training. The study examines the police hierarchy; police recruitment, selection, and training; career life; and benefits, which include rent-free living in police housing. The police-housing strategy further promotes solidarity and loyalty among officers, allows rapid mobilization of off-duty police, and allows police families to share problems and concerns. The stable and even declining rates of crime in the country are discussed in regard to police effectiveness. Social changes and their impacts on police, especially on their relations with the community, are addressed. Data for the study were collected through police and citizen interviews conducted in the prefecture of Okayama (located on the main island of Honshu), from police records, and from observation. Figures, photographs, footnotes, a glossary of selected terms, an index, and a bibliography of about 50 references (both English and Japanese) are provided.