Police officers in Japan will wear body cameras on a trial basis to record questioning in public spaces, the police agency said Thursday.
Police officers will start wearing the name card-sized cameras mounted on the chest or side of the head from next fiscal year to record their duties and provide evidence in cases of traffic violations and control crowd situations, it said.
The National Police Agency aims to introduce the system nationwide after assessing the public reaction and impact on police duties.
Social media uploads in recent years of people being stopped and questioned by officers have prompted complaints to the police or the National Public Safety Commission by members of the public, the police said.
"There are cases in which some scenes cut off abruptly" in the uploaded videos, a police agency official said, adding the wearable camera footage would allow verification that procedures were followed appropriately.
To warn members of the public that a camera has been activated, the police are considering requiring officers to wear armbands, the agency said.
Regarding the legal basis for the filming, the official said, it would be "restricted to police activities on the streets and treated in the same way as security cameras that record public spaces."
Recording would not be stopped if an individual objects to being filmed but could be suspended if a police officer is being consulted by a victim of a crime or enters a private home, the official added.
Dozens of wearable cameras will be distributed to several prefectural police departments for the trial in the year starting next April, the agency said.
The video footage will be stored for around a week to three months depending on the department. The police agency has booked around 10 million yen in the fiscal 2024 budget to prepare for the trial.
© KYODO
10 Comments
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dagon
I suspect in the places this trial run will be conducted a sudden drop in stop and frisks and show me your residence card to Western looking foreigners. Bad for the inbound tourist image.
BertieWooster
A move in the right direction. How how about videoing interrogations and allowing suspects to see lawyers?
sakurasuki
They can record the street but for interrogation only 3% of total interrogation being recorded.
https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/05/25/japans-hostage-justice-system/denial-bail-coerced-confessions-and-lack-access
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An ex-officer said it was part of their instruction. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240427/p2a/00m/0na/019000c
Jayel
Nothing will change in this respect. Foreigners living in Japan are legally obliged to show either a passport or residence card unless they have special permanent residence. The police are well within their rights to ask for your proof of stay over here.
Moonraker
This story was in Japanese news yesterday. To put some perspective on it, there will be a grand total of 76 cameras across the country.
sakurasuki
@Jayel
Foreigner obliged to show when being asked but Japanese person who looks like foreigner doesn't need to do that.
How can you tell which one is foreigner which is Japanese with foreign look? Some of them got Japanese Nationalities through naturalization, while others get it from their parent.
So how can they tell the different, only based on how they look?
https://apnews.com/article/japan-police-lawsuit-discrimination-0b474ea7222ba3924e8e5abafa3981b5
Aly Rustom
Social media uploads in recent years of people being stopped and questioned by officers have prompted complaints to the police or the National Public Safety Commission by members of the public, the police said.
Well, here's an idea: just stop doing it. And I know that there are some countries in the west where this disgusting behavior is also legal. Stopping random people on the street when they have done nothing wrong is the mark of a police state not a free one.
"There are cases in which some scenes cut off abruptly" in the uploaded videos, a police agency official said, adding the wearable camera footage would allow verification that procedures were followed appropriately.
Probably the civilian being stopped decided to film their interrogation and got told by the copper to stop.
Gazman
It appears that the footage will be used ‘to provide evidence in cases of traffic violations’…..so it won’t be used against the police if they break the laws, in that case the footage will conveniently disappear after a week.
whole-in-the-donut
As noted in the post above by @sakurasuki there’s no way for police to distinguish between Japanese nationals of non-Japanese or mixed ethnic origin, and racial profiling is indeed rife throughout this country. There are many japanese of Japanese parentage who look “foreign” too, and various minorities in Japan that are often marginalized. The ridiculous rules about even permanent resident visa holders being required to furnish their residence cards at all times if stopped by police, or potentially risk having their residency revoked only speaks more to this xenophobic attitude. Being able to show valid identification if asked, or a passport or residence card if necessary, is the law, but a bit more transparency about who exactly is being stopped and questioned and how police behave with people they deem to be foreign is an important step toward Japan acknowledging the diversity that has long existed here despite the myth of a homogenous nation.
Lindsay
This is a step in the right direction to make the J-cops accountable for their unfair treatment of foreigners. When it comes to dealing with foreigners they are nothing more than a bully with a badge.
Zaphod
With the technology available, of course they should wear these cameras. And also, interrogations at the police stations should be recorded. However, I do not think the prosecutors will like that.
OssanAmerica
I am always puzzled by the comments about Foreigners in Japan having to carry their Zairyu Cards (Including Permanent Residents) on them at all times, as if it's some form of undue discrimination.
This is common practice throughout the world.
Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) in the United States are required by law to carry their Green Card (Form I-551) with them at all times. According to the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), it is mandatory for any lawful permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older to have their Green Card in their possession. Failure to do so may result in Jail time.