47 trainee police officers punished for underage drinking, smoking

Why are police in Japan even allowed to be police if they are underage?? They should be at least 20 before even given the responsibility to enforce the laws! They are underage so no names will be given if they screw up and break the law!!

Lol, so it's like college dorms

tbf Japan isn't the only country with mixed up age rules, in the UK you can get married at 16, have a smoke after consummating your marriage but you can't have a celebratory beer at your wedding. You can join the army at 16 but can't vote for the politicos whose policies will put you in harms way until you're 18.....

Imagine being 20 and not allowed to drink! LLF.

University would've been a very different experience......my first day, we hit the Students union bar for lunch and didn't make afternoon classes...I was 17.

@Yubaru. I'm 100% certain they don't check ID's here. I've been living in Japan since I was 15. Never been checked once in 20 years. So I absolutely believe @James that his son was able to buy a six pack and smokes with no problem.

But they're just 19 year old children, right? Can't be punished.

get this girls guys can participate in filmed pornography at the age of 18 in Japan,

but theyre not allowed to have a beer after work

They should be expelled. If they can’t obey the law they have no business being police.

Force the miscreants watch 14 hours straight of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out Out of Here without breaks. Just the threat of such punishment should be enough to deter any future misdeeds.

God forbid they see what 18 and 19 year olds do in Marine Corps barracks…

It would be the seller who would get in trouble, not the young person, no?

Actually the youngster would be held by the police for it too!

After 15 years of living in Japan, I cannot recall ever being asked for ID to buy alcohol, and I have never seen or heard of it either. The only think I saw was 'push here is you are over 20' on the cash register.

Well, after close to 40 I have...And unlike some places in the world where they ID everyone, here they will do it on looks!

The law states you can't drink at certain age and they broke it. They should be kicked out because they are to be policemen. Or did they just enter the academy because they can't go anywhere and their ambition is actually different?

It is a victimless crime - kids having fun. And the drinking age in Japan is absurd anyway. There are lots of laws that people break all the time - crossing the road at a a red man or some infraction of cycling rules that no one knows.

Petty enforcement of laws to kick out those willing to dedicate their careers to the police before they have even started is heavy handed. I suspect if your sentiment was enforced uniformally, every police officer serving today would be kicked out.

Nothing suprising.

But they are humans experiencing life.

They did not hurt anyone, done anyything wrong. I know laughing and enjoying time is suppressed a lot in Japan so they don't know what real life is. Herbivorous/castrated/hikikomori men for a reason.

I drunk and did many out of law stuff but nobody was ever hurt or suffered any damages . Why need for useless punishment when suicide rate is so high for young people in Japan ?

Commandment No: 11. Don't get caught.

It’s hard to take Police in Japan seriously when in the past few months, you read about officers having sex in the koban and one senior officer taking pics of upskirts…. Maybe Discipline is lacking…. So I’m all for punishments on these trainees…

And they are future policemen of the country when they can't even abide by the law? It is not about the age or if they are already an adult. The law states you can't drink at certain age and they broke it. They should be kicked out because they are to be policemen. Or did they just enter the academy because they can't go anywhere and their ambition is actually different?

In the U.S., you are old enough, as I was, at your 17th birthday to be trained as a mindless mass murderer...and somehow the lengths of punishments for the two infractions seem backwards because alcohol, statistically, creates way more disease and life issues than tobacco ever could.

Old enough to be a cop but not old enough to have a beer.

In some countries you can be old enough to buy a collection of assault rifles or join the military and kill before you can legally buy a beer.

I prefer Japan’s approach.

Old enough to be a cop but not old enough to have a beer.

I assume there is NO zero tolerance in the Police Academy in Japan either, right?

Generally this kind of rule breaking would result in expulsion or at least lowering in rank for such actions?

But what’s lower than a trainee? Being kicked out, I’d think.

So they’re going to (eventually) “enforce” laws in Japan.

Yet they can’t even follow them. Ok.

Sounds like they’re perfect for being J-Cops.

Welcome to the team!

Yes, somewhat funny movies @Bungle but we all know how reality can sometimes turn out ‘stranger than fiction’. The pre-screening process needs to be more stringent. One J recruit pulled a “Private Pyle” from Full Metal Jacket his first week in the koban with an allegedly gruff, senior partner: “Police officer shot dead in koban; 19-year-old colleague arrested“ - Apr. 12, 2018 -

*- “Reminds me of Police Academy: My name is Lieutenant Okamoto! In case you missed it. This is Sergeant Yamada! In case you missed it. We are the meanest instructors here. We’ve got you because you are the worst people here. You are D Squad; D for dirtbags. When I say: Hey dirtbags! that means you.*

You people are going to hate my guts for the rest of your lives. I am going to make you sorry that you ever came here.” -

Why is smoking given more detention than drinking?

I wonder if any of the "smokers" were drinking too, and did they get 5 months of punishment?

If this law is working well, I was wondering how student in an university were doing at doing.

A :I am 19, orange juice for me..

B : I am 20, a beer please. Sorry for you A

Ok , I got it. Like at this police academy

NO smoking, NO Drinking,…but here strap on this gun.

Under age at 20? I was drinking and smoking at 15. Had my driver license at 15 as well. 65 years later I hardly drink and don't smoke.

Still driving at 80? Be safe.

Well at least they were not dismissed!!

Why is smoking given more detention than drinking?

Under age at 20? I was drinking and smoking at 15. Had my driver license at 15 as well. 65 years later I hardly drink and don't smoke.

The best cops are the ones that got into a bit of trouble in their youth and understand human frailties. Getting busted will make them better cops.

The future of Japan !

Who cares?!?

They can all practice arresting one another!

To test your theory My 15 year old went down the convenient store this morning just to test this theory he walked out with 6 cans of beer and a pack of cigarettes. I am shocked.

For some reason I have a REALLY hard time believing this, you send your kid to the convenience store on a Sunday morning, with enough cash to buy a six-pack and cigs, by himself no less, and you say he walked out with no problem.

Testing out a a "theory" you read about on JT, with your own kid, who very well could get into trouble for it too.

And your kid agrees to possibly get himself into trouble for you to "prove" or "disprove" of a theory?

What kind of parent are you?

@Gaijinjland

To test your theory

My 15 year old went down the convenient store this morning just to test this theory he walked out with 6 cans of beer and a pack of cigarettes.

I am shocked.

 Nobody checks ID's here anyway.

What an overly generalized statement. I know for a fact your statement here is 100% false.

It's not like Japan makes it hard to procure alcohol and smokes- there are literally vending machines supplying these goods and no ID is checked.

Alcohol vending machines are nearly non-existent to what they used to be, and without a TASPO card you can not purchase tobacco from a vending machine, been that way for years now!

Kick them out, if they are the one's who we expect to uphold the law, they should be kicked out of the academy.

This is Japan, and anyone else would be facing much stricter punishments, if an adult on the streets gave alcohol to some teenager they knew, they would get more than a slap on the wrists!

Now if we were in some other country.... this is one of those "no-news here" things!

To your point @BobFosse one Kansai area koban had a recent, fatal incident involving a new recruit and a senior, supervising officer: “Letting anyone pass will lead to trouble for everyone later on.” -

*- @Bob Fosse 8:07am: “Police training should be as strict and tough as possible. I want to be able to trust the police who will have the right to tell me what to do.” - *

Oh boo hoo. Making a mountain out of a molehill as usual. They act like these "minors" did something heinous. It's not like Japan makes it hard to procure alcohol and smokes- there are literally vending machines supplying these goods and no ID is checked. 3 months disciplinary action for a harmless night of fun? Excessive. More serious crimes have been given less punishment here.

Police training should be as strict and tough as possible. I want to be able to trust the police who will have the right to tell me what to do.

Letting anyone pass will lead to trouble for everyone later on.

But they're just 19 year old children, right? Can't be punished.

Seems kind of harmless. The students could have just gone out and bought alcohol and smokes by themselves. Nobody checks ID's here anyway.

So 18 your an adult but not an adult adult? Old enough to vote but not drink and smoke? Shouldn’t a police officer be at least of adult, adult age to enforce the laws? Seems strange to have junior adults as police.

A little draconian. You are considered an adult at 18 now isn’t it?

Only for voting rights.

Police uphold the law, if they want to mess around choose another career path.

A little draconian. You are considered an adult at 18 now isn’t it?

Off to a good start.

Agency transparency of incidents & resultant disciplinary actions are, most likely, only the result of:

Don't you think that making them go to bed without supper was a little extreme?