crime

Japanese police officer gets pay cut for using dating app to see several men

46 Comments
By Ben K, grape Japan

According to a report by Toyo Keizai Online on April 17, a female police officer in her 20s stationed at the San'yo-Onoda police station in Yamaguchi Prefecture was subject to the disciplinary action of a 10% pay cut equivalent to one month's salary, effective April 1 for meeting several men through a smartphone dating app.

The office of the inspector of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Police explained that in February, the officer confided in a supervisor that she had met several men through the app and dated them from May to August of last year, and that disciplinary action was warranted because such behavior was "ethically problematic as a police officer."

After being notified of her pay cut, the officer voluntarily resigned on the same day. According to the news report, she expressed contrition for her actions, saying: "I am sorry [for what I did]."

The office of the inspector further commented: "We will continue to conduct training in professional ethics to all our staff in an effort to prevent this from happening again."

The number of crimes associated with dating apps (出会い系アプリ deai-kei apps in Japanese), has steadily decreased in the last decade. A 2016 report by the National Police Agency indicated that there were only 93 incidents in 2015, compared to 1,100 in 2007 when statistics were first taken. Nevertheless, the apps continue to have a bad reputation in Japanese society due to their association with crimes (mostly involving minors) such as prostitution, assault, kidnapping and rape.

Due to a lack of information on the circumstances under which she used the app or interacted with the men, it is impossible to know if there is more going on that can be gleaned from the news report. However, if we are to take the report at face value, the officer was only exercising her personal freedom to do as she pleases in her private life off duty.

Source: Toyo Keizai

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46 Comments
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Unethical? Who cares?

If she was doing this during work hours and goofing off then sure. It'd be the equivalent to taking several smoke breaks throughout the work day. Who cares if she is seeing a couple of guys during her private life.

Japan has been complaining about young people not dating and starting families and here they are chewing out a young woman for doing the very thing they want people to do! You almost got to have your cake and eat it Japan, then you blew it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

J-cop talking about ethics? What a joke.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

such behavior was "ethically problematic as a police officer."

No, it wasn't. She should receive her full salary plus 500,000 yen for having to endure this treatment from her superiors, paid for by said superiors.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Japanese sources say she was getting paid for dating, basically prostitution.

Dating is one thing, prostitution is something totally different, and if she was in fact being paid for sex, the cops SHOULD be doing more than just fining her!

Prostitution is against the law here, and by inferring what you are here, she would have been guilty of a crime.

She was paid to date, not sex, so not prostitution.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Japanese sources say she was getting paid for dating, basically prostitution.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Frequently dating with several men can't be count as dating.

Dating can't be counted as dating???

1 ( +2 / -1 )

On a number on such apps, the dates are not free. That could be what is missing for the article.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@thepersoniamnow

We should understand the meaning of dating and words prostitution.

Frequently dating with several men can't be count as dating.

I think @Andrew Crisp are correct for other news source.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

When did 10% equal one twelfth?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

According to other news sources the female officer was using apps associated with "compensated dating", another words prostitution that's the real reason for punishment.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Story is light and not in depth but clever to increase the dating apps.

Some cheap crime between a lady officer and her different kind of men, that we do not know.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Unfortunately @sakura is right. I went to a Japanese language school a few years ago. I had to drive because of the location. The principal told me students are not allowed to drive. I couldn’t go anymore and lost my term fee even though I wasn’t told about the rule. Rules are everywhere

In all the years of working here, in various different occupations, I have experienced less than 1/10th of the things you have in 10 times the length of time being here. You come across as being either extremely naive and gullible or just too far into the "don't make waves because I am the foreigner and I have to become like a Japanese to be accepted"

When you get over that, you will hopefully learn to stand up for BS like the example you gave here THIS time!

You got taken to town here too, you could have easily filed a complaint, and gotten your money back as well.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Do you think PM Abe san can go those brothels that pose as bathing and massage spas in his personal time?

My Answer: NO

The reason, his position should have some social responsibility.

And I believe the same for police should have social responsibility as a law enforcement personnel.

You are in your personal time and Personal freedom does not means you can go anywhere and you can do whatever you like.

If you don't feel social responsibility from your position then it's very unfortunate.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

JT, seriously, detail all the facts of a news story, otherwise you sow confusion. See above.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

There’s more to the story than JT provided. She was charging money for “dates”, and only consulted a superior when her relation with her live-in boyfriend went sour due to meeting shady customers.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

"Woman, why are you using a date app? You have 10 perfectly useless males in this KOBAN to choose from. Don't you ever let me catch you dating other men. I'm cutting your pay!"

-ignorant prefectural police department representative

0 ( +1 / -1 )

So, where did she go? I admire her.

And I like Deadpool, but admiring an officer of the law who prostitutes herself is pushing it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yes, she was demanding money from her “matches” as a prerequisite, making what she did defacto prostitution.

https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/ann?a=20190417-00000010-ann-soci

3 ( +3 / -0 )

such behavior was "ethically problematic as a police officer.

What a load of absolute bovine excrement! Her personal life has nothing to do with her job. This is just another perfect example of Japan being a fascist regime and not a democracy. This woman should take this to the human rights association and sue these fascist twats!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

So, where did she go? I admire her.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

It was reported here on JT. Now I remember this case, and yes, miss_oikawa is right. She was earning extra income from prostitution and this had brought her into contact with potentially compromising shady characters, which is why she opened up about it and eventually resigned. This pay cut is really only tangential to her story.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I thought for SURE I was going to read this article and see a police chief/organization apologizing for interfering in the woman's privacy and for the double standards when it comes to men and women, but instead the woman RESIGNED and apologized AND the police are going to continue to investigate the matter as to how using such apps and dating a few people is ethically wrong?? What is WRONG with this country?

1 ( +6 / -5 )

I think she must have been prostituting herself via the app. Only thing that would make sense.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Unfortunately @sakura is right. I went to a Japanese language school a few years ago. I had to drive because of the location. The principal told me students are not allowed to drive. I couldn’t go anymore and lost my term fee even though I wasn’t told about the rule. Rules are everywhere

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Don't they have a Patrolman's Union in Japan?

It's none of the prefectural government's business who she dates or how she meets them.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

I’d love to know the real reason that they removed the most important information from their press release, making no attempt to smooth over the gaping hole. How this can be acceptable is beyond comprehension.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

If they would stop chasing away female officers, there wouldn't be a need to have a 'fashion show' to help find new recruits.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Typical Japanese outdated thinking!

It's her life and there's nothing unethical about using a dating app! The only thing unethical here is the closed minded Japanese old man brain!

9 ( +12 / -3 )

I wonder if she was using the app not only to meet men, but maybe also she was receiving money from them for compensated dates. What is the new term "pappakatsu", sugar daddy? If that is the case, then yes she would get fined and reprimanded. But if she was just dating multiple guys and having fun, then this is way out lf line. Maybe the other officers were jealous she wouldn't date any of them!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

So she got fined one months pay, probably about 200,000, for using a date app?

I dont think so! I will bet any money one of the people she dated was married, she had an affair, and the cops are using THIS as the excuse for her resigning. There is no way she is going to get fined THAT much for just using an app!

Workplace in Japan they have various rule, often those rules are ridiculous rule but it's there.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Ahh let women shine! Just not allow them to actually do it!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

woman has intercourse outside marriage, woman gets punished. what year is it.....?

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

 10% pay cut equivalent to one month's salary, effective April 1 for meeting several men through a smartphone dating app.

So they would prefer officer who stay single until retirement age?

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Ooohhh ok, so in Japan the apps have a “bad rep”....

Is this even true? Aren’t a bunch of regular normal people on tinder and other matchmaking apps?

This lady should sue.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Meanwhile.. regularly see male officers doing upskirt crime, angel kosei.. drunken driving, no discussion of them even being dismissed. Common quote, "Its regrettable"

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Using an app to get a date is unethical?

Can someone fill in the blanks for me here? Are cops not allowed to use apps to date?

16 ( +18 / -2 )

 was subject to the disciplinary action of a 10% pay cut equivalent to one month's salary, 

So she got fined one months pay, probably about 200,000, for using a date app?

I dont think so! I will bet any money one of the people she dated was married, she had an affair, and the cops are using THIS as the excuse for her resigning. There is no way she is going to get fined THAT much for just using an app!

0 ( +8 / -8 )

that disciplinary action was warranted because such behavior was "ethically problematic as a police officer."

As opposed to others using their keitei to take pictures up the skirts of young teenage girls?

Gimme a break, no laws, nor ethics, were broken here, she should never have been disciplined, and I will bet there is a HELL of a lot more to this story! Like I'll bet there are pictures somewhere too!

18 ( +21 / -3 )

Seriously? Unethical? I’m curious how many male officers attend those brothels that pose as bathing and massage spas?

Doesn’t matter if she is dating multiple people or trying to meet someone. What she does in her personal time is her choice especially when it is not detrimental to others.

Then they wonder why less women are becoming officers.

31 ( +35 / -4 )

Moral of the story: never confide to your supervisor.

29 ( +30 / -1 )

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