Law enforcement in Japan

A Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department officer with their van outside Ueno Station

Law enforcement in Japan is provided mainly by prefectural police under the oversight of the National Police Agency.[1] The National Police Agency is administered by the National Public Safety Commission, 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 a free and active press.

There are two types of law enforcement officials in Japan, depending on the underlying provision: Police officers of Prefectural Police Departments (prescribed as Judicial police officials (司法警察職員) under Article 189 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法, Keiji-soshōhō)), and Special judicial police officials (特別司法警察職員); prescribed in Article 190 of the same law, dealing with specialized fields with high expertise.[2]

  1. ^ Supreme Court of Japan (2005). "Who will conduct the investigation?". Retrieved 2018-11-01.
  2. ^ Japanese Law Translation (2011-12-01). "日本法令外国語訳データベースシステム-刑事訴訟法" [Code of Criminal Procedure]. Ministry of Justice. p. 1. Retrieved 2017-06-14.