Are Japanese police really as incompetent as readers on Japan Today make them out to be?

Yes

I think Japanese police are OK at solving crimes where a family member is the guilty party or if insurance is involved, but my theory is they never evolved with the times. There was a time where the community was so tightly knit that the koban was always kept informed on what was going on and who was doing what. It was easier to solve crimes. The police haven't progressed with changes in society. They are behind technologically and they suffer from a lack of imagination and intuition.

But having said that, police investigative work is a lot harder than readers think. My cousin is a cop in Australia and he says people always expect them to solve a crime in a day. It's not like TV where they catch the killer in an hour.

I'd like to see the scoffers on JT try to do the coppers' job. Most of them wouldn't last past a couple of shifts. Heck, most of them wouldn't even get through basic training.

Funny that you should ask "readers on Japan Today" to answer this question...

I know a few cops here and overseas and on average the japanese cops get my respect. Could they do better, etc in some cases for sure.

Also agree with Cleo most of the scoffers here I think would themselves break a law trying to solve a case or similar.

Being a government organisation, I'm sure they have a whole lot of stupid rules and procedures making them inefficient, but they've always been approachable and helpful in my experience.

Your average koban cop isn't as hard police officers back home, probably because they don't deal with violent idiots every day. I certainly feel safer here, so they must be doing something right.

I will agree that when something major does happen, they often seem a bit underprepared or overwhelmed.

Agree with both smartacus and cleo. It is ridiculous to say that all J-police are incompetent. I know some who are brilliant at what they do. However, there are many who leave a lot to be desired. Koban police in a city close to me appear to do the bidding of the Yakuza while the central police station has a very effective anti-Yakuza squad. We all know who they are and what rank in the organization they hold. But we also see them frequently sitting in the Koban chatting with the police on duty. A very close friend who is a detective once told me that the Japanese police exhibit the same characteristics as most Japanese: exploit the weakest link. Quite often, the weakest link is the foreignor :( I guess, you can say that it is like every other country I have ever been too.

And you're asking the readers of JT to disagree with the readers of JT about this topic?

I have to sit down. My head is spinning!

When someday I read a J-head-line that says, "Japanese police change policy and will no longer be allowed to fire indiscriminate "warning shots" in the air" perhaps my answer will change to "maybe not". Calling a miss a "Warning shot" is too convenient an excuse for really needing more practice time at the range.

Totally agree, asking JT readers, at least most of them, if J cops are as incompetent as they make them out to be, is very odd. As others stated you're basically asking the very same people who stereotype all J cops as incompetent if they think J cops are incompetent. Makes no sense at all.

<strong>Moderator: In that case, why don't you post your opinion on whether or not you think Japanese police are incompetent?</strong>

I don't think it's the readers of Japan Today that are making the Japanese police out to be incompetent so much as the articles Japan Today chooses to publish that show the incompetence of the Japanese police. Then the readers jump on the JT police-bashing bandwagon.

Being a cop is hard work in any country and, as has been pointed out by cleo and others, it takes a lot of work to even become a cop. That said, they also have rules and regulations that hamper them but make it somewhat safer for the rest of us.

Are Japanese police really as incompetent as Japan Today makes them out to be? When all articles about them are negative and shows them in that light how can anyone come to any other conclusion? Isn't this a stupid question JT?

I am not exactly sure how Japan Today has made the police out to be, but I have talked with many foreigners that have been harassed by the police for unbelievably minor infractions. For example, being arrested and fingerprinted for having a 2.54 cm (1-inch) craft cutter used for work under the seat of a motorbike-considered a "concealed weapon." Or being arrested and held overnight for kicking a Japanese intruder from a 2nd floor window, considering the thief the victim and the gaijin that defended himself as the criminal. Pretty incompetent police.

No, they're worse.

My experience (not that I've had a lot) has been mostly positive, although I have been stopped on suspicion of being blonde a couple of times.

The problem isn't police per se. The thing about any society that values harmony and authority over competence and fairness is that it's easier for the scum to rise to the top. There's a lot of checks and balances necessary to keep ANY group of people from going soft, and a lot of those checks and balances are considered rude here. So you end up, on one hand, with some guys who are so clueless that they can let a murderer escape an apartment full of cops (the Lindsay Hawker fiasco.) On the other hand, you get, uh, "situations" where a guy soaked in kerosene is given a cigarette in a no smoking zone.

Incompetence can be found anywhere and everywhere, but I do think it's given a lot more free reign here.

The ones I have worked with were very professional.

I'd rather be arrested in Japan by a Japanese cop than by one of the macho-cops in other countries. How often do you hear of people in Japan being tasered by cops for failing to move quickly enough, or for talking too much? How often do you hear of people in Japan being shot 'accidentally' down by cops because their skin was the wrong colour?

With all these 'soft' cops in Japan you'd think the place would be overrun by lawless types.... I'm not saying there aren't no-go areas in the inner cities (Japan has inner cities??), but if there are they can't hold a candle to those in other countries. Does Japan have walled communities with security guards to keep the law-breaking, violent riff-raff out and affluent law-abiding citizens inside safe? Does Japan have a murder/violent crime/theft/vandalism rate anywhere near that of the 'tough cop' countries?

Beam. Eye. Mote.

Good point, cleo.

In Japan, unlike England, the cops will not ticket you for displaying your nation's flag.

http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/display.var.2288512.0.motorist_told_flag_could_be_racist.php

Incompetent? I would say they are considerate and law obeying.

I agree with cleo. Foreigners like us, who are used to seeing cops manhandle, may think Japanese cops are soft, but hey, they do not need to be tough cop here. I guess this is the only country left in the world where people still feels sorry and ashamed after committing crime and hand themselves over to police.

I don't think Japanese police are as incompetent as JT readers make them out to be. Same as any other country, there are people who just aren't very good workers.

I think it is just the nature of the internet community, so many people who just want to say something, and what they say is neither well thought nor based on fact (in many cases). Take for instance, "I guess this is the only country left in the world where people still feels sorry and ashamed after committing crime and hand themselves over to police.", this is clearly another stereotype not based on any factual evidence at all.

There have been many recorded instances of people in other countries turning themselves into the police after they commit a crime. The same as criminals here who have just run away and hid themselves, the Hawkins case is just one of many examples.

I think they are pretty incompetent as an organisation, but not necessarily as individuals. It is not their fault they are forced to work within a rigid system that stifles their ability to do their jobs properly.

This may not be true of police everywhere, but in my city police are given very specific duties, such as standing on sidewalks catching cars that don't come to a complete stop at intersections, or pulling over people talking on mobile phones etc. This is fine, but they do so while completely ignoring all the other traffic violations going on around them.

The mentality is "Today is seatbelt day, so we won't bother about people running red lights, speeding, or talking on phones while driving". While it is important to have routines for them to follow, I think it is also important for the police to be flexible. In many cases, they lack that flexibility.

Other gripes...

their ambivalence towards domestic violence disputes...

failure to stop people who don't strap their kids in (it IS the law, despite the misconception that it isn't),...

failure to deal with known criminals (yakuza etc.)...

I'm not sure if incompetent is the right adjective. I'm sure they must have quite a high level of competence due to their strict training, however, there are words like, diligence, conscientiousness and common-sense that do seem to be lacking in the police force.

Oops, sorry. Just read the top headline. Now they are finally cracking down on seatbelts in the back seat... although probably while people who are violating other traffic rules. Sorry for being pessimistic.. That is just my experience..

I'm pretty sure tomorrow will be "mobile phone" day, and they'll go back to ignoring people in back seats...

absolutely...maybe worse in fact

I like the Koban system. The police are usually always available to give directions, which seems to be their main task. They don't use their guns which is really good. I'm not sure if they would be effective in a highly criminal-natured country like the USA or Britain.

Foreigners like us, who are used to seeing cops manhandle

I'm not used to seeing cops manhandle people. When I was a kid my parents taught me that if I was ever in trouble I should go to the nearest bobby for help. It was only a long time after I came to Japan that the British cops started shooting people on the Underground for the crime of living in the same building as a suspected terrorist.

The Japanese cop is a lot like the old British bobby, and that's the way I like it.

If we're talking about incompetence, I would say that shooting/tasering innocent people and their dogs on a regular basis was way, way more incompetent than anything the J-police get up to.

If any JT poster would like to tell us about his own country where the police do not shoot first and ask questions later and never ever let any crime go unsolved or criminal go uncaught - indeed, where effective and competent police action has made crime a thing of the past - then that poster can rant and rail about the incompetence of the J-Police. The rest are just yapping into the cyber wind.

super del -

The kid was not ticketed. The idea that the national flag draped over a couple of speakers (why was it draped over the speakers?) might be illegal is simply rubbish of course, but at least the kid didn't get tasered for failing to comply at once, or for laughing at the officer.

Tsk! I've seen worse cops. Japanese police may not always been sharp, but at least they can handle themselves better than some cops here in the US. Even in the Philippines where you can easily bribe them, and they have beer guts that make it difficult for them to go after troublemakers.

The Japanese cop is a lot like the old British bobby,

How about "The Japanese cop is a lot like the MYTH OF THE old British bobby",

A la Dixon of Dock Green, right?

"'Ello, 'ello, 'ello - What's going on 'ere then?"

cleo and other J-cop defenders...Why don't you ask Ms. Hawker's parents what they think, or maybe Ms. Blackman's? You don't measure the competence of a police force by how good they are at keeping bicycles from getting stolen. You measure it by how they do at solving and getting convictions in the really tough cases. In this area, the J-cops are pittiful. That is why their true clearance rate -- the number of reported crimes that actually end up in a conviction -- is incredibly low.

Of course they are incompetent ! Murderers remain at large, the general public has stopped asking for their assistance, and thousands of dead bodies go uninvestigated every year for fear of appearing to be "incompetent"... what a catch 22 that is !

I prefer the no nonsense throw the bum to the ground tactics employed by other nations. Crime is much higher and deadlier in Japan than the data indicates, I'll take my chances with the officers in blue back home !

You`d never d!ck around with a NSW cop of detective.. been clubbed with a phonebook before...

Based on investigative skills, 99.9% confession conviction rate in Japan, having a 20year old barefoot get away from 5 policemen, then I would have to say yes.. They`re a shocker.

Yeh at some level they are incompetent. Here are few example to those who thinks becasue of KOBAN or their politeness they are great. No doubt these two factors are good.

Following are my experiences which I got while interpretation, or talking with Police and asking questions.

At random check at Train stations or any where. Just by face and physical appearnce if you look like a foreigner they will call you and ask you to show Alien card or in some cases passport. They do not know how to call a person and even do not fully aware how to ask questions?

When I asked Police to which Station they belonged their asnwer was Head Office which is not true. Why are they afraid to tell the truth?

Questions asked by Police when they stopemd me:

Where are you going? Are you looking for something? Are you a foreigner?

After all these various incidents when I told them what they are supposed to ask their reply was oh it was nice talking to you we learned a lot from you. See Police learned from me. Isn't a joke? Or being a foreigner does this mean you are a criminal in this country?

In once case I went to the Police box(Koban) and asked them an address, the Police man did not understand therefore I wrote it down on a memo I was surprised the Police man was unable to read Kanji then an elderly Police man told him how to read. I asked why he could not read Kanji though he is a Japanese I was told he is young and use computer that is why do not know how to read or write some characters.

Japanese Police wanted to act like American FBI or CIA if they really want to do that they must also learn from America.

One request to those who are from other countries. We are in Japan we must not compare Japanese Police with other countries if want to get right answer.

their true clearance rate -- the number of reported crimes that actually end up in a conviction -- is incredibly low

...

Murderers remain at large

And cops in other countries have stellar crime-solving and conviction rates? Got any links to statistics so that we can compare? Don't forget to include the statistics of innocent citizens being tasered/shot by incompetent cops who are only too happy to let their weapons do their jobs for them.

Absolutely incompetent. They are poor caricatures of themselves, and completely reliant on self-confessions and more recently as its come to light- abuse to extract confessions.

The local koban cop is fine, until he is faced with a crime involving any weight (street violence - where he often takes the easy route by taking sides with the Japanese unless the foreigner can prove with eyewitnesses that the Japanese opponent hit first; domestic abuse - the cop usually takes side of abusive husband "oh, it's a small household argument - nothing to be done here", or drunken driving accident (taking Blood Alcohol Tests hours after the incident), and finally the kicker of them all - holding and grilling victims of train gropers longer than the perpertrators).

Basically, if something around the house is broken? It's "About as useless as a Japanese policeman"

Moreover, the Kanagawa Police Department, namely the Totsuka Division, is in some disrepute for having arrested (or is it brought in under suspicion) its own members as train molesters.

I think part of it is that the cops here are held accountable and their failures are national news.

How many other countries report the blunders of their police forces?

Not talking about blunders where cops pump 55 bullets into a car because they felt they were under fire, etc.

I wud vote for J-cops overal being incompetent but sorry it just seems like that wud be too much of a compliment. Individually yes there are some good ones but as a group, sorry they just dont cut it.

The cops steal from the public with their slush funds, they work hand in hand with the yakuza, 99%confessions(forced) that 2bit dictators wud kill for, can lock people up for what like 20days on a whim, no lawyers etc allowed, lots of dead bodies go without autopsies under very suspicious circumstances so murders(how many?? my guts says a hell of a lot!)arent even "investigated", murders get away with it, poor record dealing domestic violence, stalkers, they have virtually no presence on the countries roads just wait for accidents then show up. I have stopped at 3accidents personlly that I witnessed they always flat out refused to even hear what I say, never(perhaps thankfully) took my contact info.

They are good at giving directions though, other than that as a group they are incompetent

Great job again JT!!! Another stupid question follows from the "gaijin" question. And the result is all too familiar "personal" accounts which anybody who resides in Japan is a complete bogus.

So getting back to the question.

Are Japanese police really as incompetent as readers on Japan Today make them out to be?

No.

Yes they are, i have to say with heavy heart.

Well, whatever, yes they do seem to be incompetent. Based the reports I read, of course.

Some readers seem to have the impression that a single uniformed officer can take down the entire organised crime syndicate.

Thus the, "Don't they have better things to do than stop a gajin on bicycle? Aren't there real criminals like murderers and Yaks!" type comments.

Is there any contry country in the world where a uniformed officer gets up one day and decides, "Heck, I wanna bust me some mobsters today!"?

And yes, Japan does have it's own home-bred vice unit and anti-organised crime task force. They have been so far effective, as Yakuza membership has dropped by 80% since the late 80's.

"And cops in other countries have stellar crime-solving and conviction rates? Got any links to statistics so that we can compare? Don't forget to include the statistics of innocent citizens being tasered/shot by incompetent cops who are only too happy to let their weapons do their jobs for them." - Cleo

No, I would be willing to bet that not all the cops in other countries have stellar crime solving and conviction rates. But, what I can tell you, is that if they were American cops at the suspected murderer of Ms. Blackman I think it was (I honestly don't remember her name, not trying to be a wiseguy for once) one barefoot guy wouldn't have outrun how many cops? How about the guy that punched an officer and then was involved in a car chase involving hundreds of police? As far as the cops who you say let their weapons do their jobs for them, are you one of the people who insists that an officer doesn't even draw his weapon until the other person involved does? Just wondering.

Wrong question.

Right question: "How is it that the j-satsu are as inept as they have repeatedly proven themselves to be in the JT news items?"

But I suppose courteous ineptitude trumps brutal ineptitude.

Let' me see... of all the stuff some people stolen from me (bicicles, wallet, ketais, Software, passports, my beloved PS3, etc...). I recovered nothing. Even in the only case that we have strong suspicions of who was the crininals.

They are pretty polite, but dont expect Sherlock Holmes or CSI. If they dont stop the criminal red-handed, they rely on "interrogations" of suspects (the interrogations never are recorded, why? your guess). Some of them are just bureaucrats more interested in the number of closed cases at "any" cost than in making justice. And the Yaks, or the NPA is corrupt or innept against them. Thanks to good we have strong gun control or Yaks and nuts can be even worst.

conqueror_of_Uranus "They have been so far effective, as Yakuza membership has dropped by 80% since the late 80's."

If I remember rigth, all the country suffer a shortege of workers because the low birth rate, and in the book McMafia, I read it that the Yaks counter the shortage of manpower by subcontrac the killing to the Chinese. So you can say that there are less Yaks, but even if is a Triad who pull the trigger, is the tatoed guys who order the killing.

I'd rather be arrested in Japan by a Japanese cop than by one of the macho-cops in other countries. How often do you hear of people in Japan being tasered by cops for failing to move quickly enough, or for talking too much?

On balance I agree, Cleo, although it seems that the rough stuff comes AFTER you're arrested, which makes the cops both brutal AND cowardly. But still better than taser-happy cops.

cleo............I'd like to see the scoffers on JT try to do the coppers' job. Most of them wouldn't last past a couple of shifts. Heck, most of them wouldn't even get through basic training.

Kindly enlighten us.How much training does it take to be able to sit on your butt in a police box all day guzzling green tea ?

If they were competent, they would videotape interrogations.

It's not we, the JT posters, who make the j-cops out to be incompetent, its the stories that JT runs that makes them so...we're just commenting on their ineptness. They'd be useless whether we commented or not.

are you one of the people who insists that an officer doesn't even draw his weapon until the other person involved does? Just wondering

When the alternative is an innocent Brazilian electrician getting 7 bullets in his brain on the Underground, or the car of an unarmed man getting riddled with 31 bullets, or a woman in a wheelchair being tasered into a heart attack - heck YES. Wonder no more.

if they were American cops at the suspected murderer of Ms. Blackman I think it was (I honestly don't remember her name, not trying to be a wiseguy for once) one barefoot guy wouldn't have outrun how many cops?

You're talking about the murder of Lindsay Hawker. At the time Ichihashi was not a suspect - it was not known that any murder had even been committed, the case was still a 'missing person' case. But Ichihashi should not have been allowed to run away.

<strong>Moderator: Readers, please focus your comments on Japanese police, not police in other countries.</strong>

bigtime charlie -

My daughter was assigned to the koban for two years. She did not spend her time sitting on her butt, I can assure you.

I feel that "incompetent" might be a little strong, but I think most readers came from countries with higher crime rates and were used to seeing police doing more actively to solve those crimes. Thus, in comparison, Japan's passive methods will appear much more like incompetence.

In the Hawker case, many, including myself, felt furious that one man would be able to escape from 11 officers. Are those 11 incompetent for having allowed a person to run away? At the time, they claimed he wasn't a suspect yet,but if so, why have 11 officers around the building? If he was a suspect, then their actions are negligent at the very least, and bordering incompetence.

The Japanese police have had a long time of peace, and now that crime is increasing and increasingly being reported in the news, their failure to capture criminals are all the more apparent. they are finding themselves looking worse and worse in the media spot light, and their passive methods are no longer considered good enough.

I will note that the recent case involving the young woman who disappeared from her apartment showed some active investigation. The cops investigated every apartment, and eventually found the killer.

As a resident of Japan, I hope that the Japanese police will continue to update their investigation methods and become more active in enforcing the law for the sake of everyone.

No way...

Incompetent? People who say this don't understand the meaning of the word.

People in Japan have it easy.

yokomama -

I'd like to believe you, but everyone -everyone, 'cept you'n'me - insists that it's only in Japan that criminals get away..... We must be wrong.....

;-)

Ive only had wonderful experiences w/the Japanese police & Ive been living here for about 12 years. There was a murder near my house, and they solved the case quickly. Whenever I need help, they bend over backwards to help me in a friendly kind manner even when I was simply asking for directions. In dealing w/bad ppl, Ive only seen them acting courteously. For ex. I once saw them take away a drunk that was disturbing the peace. They didnt slam him on the floor, talk gruffly to him, and handcuff him. They let him keep his dignity as he walked on his own between them to the station as they all chatted and joked along the way. It reminded me of the old Andy Griffeth show with the town drunk. I think in other countries, the police sometimes forget they are dealing with humans. Not all police matters reguire tough police action. I think the Japanese police have a better balance than some other countries in that regard. They seem to know when to be tough and when to treat an offender as a human who has made a mistake. I know there are some bad apples among them, but personally I`d prefer to fall into the hands of a Japanese policeman than any other country.

Actually, it's the articles JT posts that make the J-police look incompetent. Readers just comment on them.

This site's bias toward the J-police is thinly veiled.

RR

"According to the National Police Agency, it was recently estimated that in the next 10 years, Japan’s police force will see large numbers of officers leave the service due to reaching the retirement age. About 104,400 officers are scheduled to retire in the next 10 years , which is about 42 percent of this year’s 251,300-strong police force! The force will face a double hit as a declining birthrate means less recruits and there will be a loss of investigative skills from retiring officers. Special recruitment programs have been set up to combat the problem."

http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/attractive-japanese-police-recruits/

Wave of retirements impairs police investigative ability

"In the past month, several serious crimes involving women victims have been reported nationwide. At the beginning of April, Kanako Ishida, 19, was kidnapped, drugged and confined in a car in Ome, Tokyo. Just after this kidnapping case, a female officer worker, 23, disappeared from her apartment. During Golden Week, student Manami Shimizu, 15, was killed on a street in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, and Miho Kosuzgi, 15, was found murdered in the woods in Maizuru City, Kyoto. Apart from the Ishida case, no suspect has been arrested yet in spite of witnesses and evidence left at the scene of the crime."

"“Police officers cannot catch up with the high-tech investigative methods so quickly,” said another ex-cop. “When I talked with young police officers about a case concerning an anonymous online bulletin board, I found they didn’t even know how to contact the service provider so they could trace illegal posters, which would have made the investigation much easier. Even now, police are just starting to learn how to analyze mobile phones, but the gadgetry is getting more sophisticated all the time.”"

http://www.japantoday.com/category/shukan-post/view/wave-of-retirements-impairs-police-investigative-ability

Some people have good experiences and some people have bad experiences. But crime is rising. Or at least the perception of the people about crime (you can blame the media if you think so). But is not fun when the politicians answer talking about "foreigners criminals". That dont improve the opinion of some foreigners about police. Maybe is just histeria from the media, or maybe is just plain inneptitude of the LDP that cant made a plan for the retirement of the veteran police officers because all the gov is slow for update to the evolving times. Pick the one you find more credible.

Japanese authorities also solve a relatively high percentage of crimes. For example, 75.9% of robberies are solved in Japan, compared to 26.5% in Britain, 26.0% in the United States. And the clearance rate for homicides is 96% in Japan, compared to 75% in France and 67% in the United States. Therefore, the chance of literally “getting away with murder” are about one in three in America, one in four in France, and one in 26 in Japan.

Police scandals back in 2000 caused police to take on every single frigging stupid thing some obaachan brings to the station, and RECORD it. This is why the crime rates are rising. They record all the innecessary stuff, and mass media puts it all on the paper without separating serious offenses from minor ones. Amount of police remains the same or even lessens with the years -> clearance rate goes down.

"Rise in crime?

According to Criminologists Koichi Hamai and Tom Ellis (2006), the number of crimes being committed in Japan has NOT significantly changed, but the way crimes are recorded by the police, and then reported by the mass media, has changed. Japanese police now record more “trivial” crimes which they tended to disregard and dismiss in the past: traffic violations, riding bicycle without a light, vice crimes, etc., crimes not generally considered threatening to the average citizen. This has caused a significant increase in the total # of crimes, but not in # of serious crimes. The mass media, however, conflates this TOTAL rise in crime with a rise in “serious” crime.

When reporting on a specific crime, i.e. a murder, the mass media report on the increase in TOTAL number of crimes (not only similar crimes) – because higher numbers sell more newspapers (and advertisements). To most people, it looks like there has been an increase in serious crimes.

In fact, although people think “increasing number of crimes” means Japan is becoming a more dangerous society, less than 1% of 2005 crimes were “Index Serious Offenses,” (murder, robbery, arson, rape, abduction, indecent assault, etc...)"

I've had family who waited until the other guy drew down on him. He took 3 in the chest. The guy who shot him got a couple of months. He ended up getting thrown out of a car moving at about 75mph, but what do you expect when you are a criminal? My point is, if you give an officer a weapon, and you expect him to protect not only himself, but those around him, and then you basically tell him that he can't do anything about the situation until it is almost a certainty that at the very least he/she will be killed, what is the point of having police? You seem to be someone who thinks the world is black and white, and everyone is able to talk through their problems. Sometimes it is. But, often it isn't. The woman in the wheelchair thing, yeah, those cops need to go away for a long time. The electrician though, did he have some sort of backpack I wonder? If a man, who is suspected of being a terrorist were to have a backpack in a crowded area, and started acting all suspicious, would you like to be the one to wait until it exploded? 1 dead, or 100? Oh wait, you'd rather see 100 dead than 1 innocent man get shot by the big bad police, huh?

Capone:

It's not we, the JT posters, who make the j-cops out to be incompetent, its the stories that JT runs that makes them so...we're just commenting on their ineptness. They'd be useless whether we commented or not.

Couldn't agree more mate!

Yes, the Japanese Police are as incompetent as they seem. There is little attempt at enforcement except when they want to make a show of competence, which farcically often prove to be incompetent too. Take the Seika University student murder in Kyoto over a year ago: Police canvassed only 3 days later and then ended up pleading for help outside Demachiyanagi station, mainly for the benefit of the media.

This incompetence is not helped by the criminal justice system in Japan: There is too much emphasis on the confession as the only way of gaining proof, leading to false confessions on numerous occasions (an electoral crime case comes to mind).

The general policing system doesn't help either: There are also not enough police at key times: Everyone knows that outside of a few areas most Policeman will be tucked up in bed after 7 pm. While I don't think increasing Police numbers will help solve some crimes, just think of the number of attacks on women that might have been deterred by regular local patrols at night. Its a long time since any other developed country had a such an outdated style of policing.

The only area of law the Japanese Police seem to be particularly keen on enforcing relates to foreigners, but then the routine registration of foreigners makes tracking and arresting foreigners easy, and, of course, it plays well with the media. The problem is that they just end up alienating an increasing proportion of the population, people who often also know what a competent police force should look like.

what the hell kinda question is this???????. The japanese police is BY FAR more polite than in the states, they dont harass you, pull you over, taze you, shot you in the back, arrest you when you asked for a complaint form to file a complaint, and the list goes on and on. JT, this is a stupid question to ask. ive been places that the cops harass you for being a foreigner, besides a few isolated incidents, the cops here generally treat you with respect and trust. But as time pass and a few scams here and there that the JP police never was used to, eventaully they catch on and pass draconian laws. So whos to blame, if you dont like the police service , then get you A OUT!!!!!!

The police are not incompetent here. They do well what they are expected most of the time - NOTHING IMPORTANT. Chasing down old ladies on bicycles, etc. I think if they were reorganised into doing work that really mattered, they would be very good at it. For the most part, it is not their fault they are seen as incompetent. As a matter of fact, I have met quite a few "special police" - fellows you don't see every day - and they are tough and scary. They do most of the dirty work. The rest are office workers in Halloween costumes.

Hmmm... I just remembered an incident. Some of my friends where in the combiny near our apato late night, buying some beers and snacks. A drunken peruvian started to shout some non-sense. Then a police officer enter in the combiny (the police station just in front of the store, crossing the street) and asked him his ID or something in that lines. The drunken peruvian looked to him and shouted to him even more louder (in broken japanese). After a few patetic attemps to intimidate him, the officer retreated (sems that the intimidated was him, maybe he was new on the force). Is not like he "cant" call inmediate back up (remeber that the police station is crossing the street) and we can said that after making the police get out of the store the peruvian was enough happy, payed his beers and got home whitout causing any more problems, maybe the officer downplayed the incident for not lose face and not writed a report. I guess that in the US someone that try to resist the autority (unarmed) get tased. The logic say that ended well. But still I find hard to not see them like incompetents. At least the police in my current town. In other city they nocked my door and started to make me questions (show me your ID, where you work, from where you are) only because they got the call that new foreigners moved on the block. I wondered if japanese to, got an interrogation for no valid reason, when they move on town. More than a friendly welcome, that made me feel like a suspected criminal. Logic say that is a preventive move, just some kind of warning, but still I find it so ofensive. Well police is not perfect, but I am sure that police can be improved. Sorry, but im not going out of J only because I think that the police need some changes ie. In one town I did nothing and got an interrogatory and an indirect warning that made me feel bad, in other town a drunk made a fuss and walked free and happy, without showing his ID or even a warning. These is a free country and I am free to express if I disagree whit something. In my personal and no-expert opinion, at least some of them get hard on the weaks and go soft on the tough ones. Most likely depend of the town and the officer. But I find it unfair anyway.

The worst I have personally witnessed.

Two American Marines from Iwakuni were in a dance club in Fukuoka. One Marine talked to the wrong girl. The girl's young Japanese thug boyfriend and a couple of his buddies picked a fight with the two Marines. The club's bouncers immediately force the entire group outside of the club and onto the sidewalk. Not wanting any further trouble (and already outnumbered) the two Marines try to head away from the scene and down the sidewalk. The boyfriend along with 6-7 pals, now armed with steel pipes and other weapons, chased down the two Marines and beat them severely, breaking one Marine's skull and hospitalizing both for over a month. While the Marines were being treated at the scene by paramedics and police, some of their assailants remained at/returned to the scene, hanging out in a convenience store across the street. The Marine (the one still concsious) saw them and pointed them out to the police, to whom he had already given an initial account of the attack. What did the Japanese police do? You guessed it, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. They didn't even go over to talk to the thugs or try to gather any further information. As a result none of the attackers were ever identified or apprehended and Fukuoka became off limits to the Marines from Iwakuni.

It's pretty easy to overlook the few positive aspects of the Japanese police when you see incompetence and prejudice of this magnitude...

well, they only enforce traffic laws twice a year or when a new law comes out. people here run lights all the time and does anyone remember with they made it illegal to use a keitai when driving? it was strictly enforced for a couple of months but now you see people using their keitais while driving all the time. same thing with the illegal parking law. anyone wanna bet that the same thing happens with the back seat belts too?

i also got into a fender bender once and the other guy ran but i got the make, model, color of the car and a partial plate including where it was issued and they couldn't catch the guy! incompetant or lazy? is it the same thing?

they are very nice though...no faulting them there.

I have some good examples:

-asking for the way and getting help (in Tokyo)

-asking where I can park my car near a station, when most places seem to be full (near Tsukuba)

-And so far, no problems when driving around by car.

2 not so good examples: It seemed a gang broke into the house of my wife's mother, while they were shopping at daytime. The thieves stole just the precious things (a laptop, watches, handbags, accessories). The police obtained a list of missing things (and insurance paid some of it), and my wife's mother learned, that on the same day several other burglaries had happened in the neighborhood. Till now, more than 3 years have passed, and the police could not find any of the items, although some criminal gang in this area had been arrested. One time there seemed to have been a chance that a watch has been found, (police asked again for the serial number) but it seemed to be not true later. Can happen.

One time, I put my bicycle at the parking place at the train station and went to Tokyo. On returning in the evening, I was very surprised, that my (locked) bicycle was lying on the ground. The side stand was missing. Funny thing, still the nut and washer was on the ground, so I was able to fix the rear tire by hand and return to my place. Next morning I went to police, to report, and showed them my bicycle, but they were not interested in filing my report. So I put a different stand on the bicycle, which is more difficult to disassemble.

I don't think they're incompetent on the whole, per se, as much as they are unaccustomed to anything outside of what is considered "normal" as far as crime goes in Japan. [and by "normal" I mean people turning themselves in/confessing to the crime due to the feeling of shame, guilt, remorse -- whatever] It seems to me [from the news I read on JT] that the majority of the crime that's solved here results from either the suspect turning himself/herself in at the Koban, sticking around the scene and then confessing, or confessing when being routinely questioned.

But when confronted with a response that's not typical [i.e., Ichihashi running instead of standing around answering their (at least in their minds) routine questions], they seem to be at a loss.

["Hmm... That's strange that that man is running away like that."

"Sou da ne... Well, he looks honest enough. Maybe he lives with his family. Lets go ask them."]

If their job at the moment is to question somebody, not because they're a suspect, but just to gather information, and that person acts a little funny, well, maybe they're just a little off. Best to just stick with the plan. Don't want the make any waves with the shochou...

Maybe this comes back to what papasmurf said earlier regarding being given specific duties [and only those duties] to accomplish:

It is not their fault they are forced to work within a rigid system that stifles their ability to do their jobs properly... While it is important to have routines for them to follow, I think it is also important for the police to be flexible. In many cases, they lack that flexibility.

Papa, I couldn't agree more.

they have horrible hours - 2 or three days on duty 24/7 - then a day off. they have paperwork by the dumpstersful. they have little experience in forensic work, they are not allowed to or don`t want to enforce the laws on the books - esp. related to traffic - unless there is a campaign. i have always found the police polite and helpful but then again i have never been in trouble. i actually pity them. they are sort of like teachers here in japan. overworked, under-trained, under-staffed and basically immature.

diegameL...nice job of cherry picking your stats. The actual fact is that the clearance rate for Japan for all major crimes is only 23.6% in the latest statistics. Given that Japan has the lowest number of reported crimes, that means the Japanese cops are in fact inept. They have fewer major crime cases, and still only clear at the same rate as other major countries. And we all know this clearance rate is inflated, since many crimes in Japan go unreported.

diegameL...nice job of cherry picking your stats.

I don't think he did.

U.S. clearance rate as in 2004 for Murder, Aggravated Assault, Forcible Rape, and Robbery were 62.6%, 55.6%, 41.8%, and 26.2% respectively.

In Japan for the same year, the clearance rate were 94.6%, 63.8%, 64.5%, and 50.3% respectively.

And the rest of your post, as usual, is pure biased rant.

It seems the world has gotten more careless and the police must deal with it.

Do everyone a favor and don't commit crimes. -if you do commit a crime, turn yourself in and be honest with questioning.

I never understood all the lieing that people try to play with cops. Many off the Mil-brat crimes have involved many cases of grotesque lying = how are we supposed to help you if you are not even true to yourself? Many of these criminals have deeply rooted issues, yet they resist all forms of help. Dealing with these types of people is very trying and success limited (not enjoyable due to poor improvement or results).

If you are going to lie: put some effort and logic into it. At least make it a challenge for the police so when the video footage of your crime is exposed the judge can deem you untrustworthy and give you a few more years to contemplate your crimes.

I think the general sense of "Japanese police incompetence" comes from the reports we see. The good things that the cops do just don't really get much attention. After all. . "Local Cop helps lost foreigner" doesn't really sell advertising space. At the same time, there have been some very high-profile mistakes (Lindsay Hawker/Ichihashi). When all we see are those BIG mistakes, then we tend to get a negative impression of the local po-po. In a way, it's very similar to the general sentiments against American military personnel...we see reports of the bad stuff..not of the good stuff.

So, in short...I don't think anyone would be as incompetent as we JT posters tend to make the police out to be. We just comment on the incompetent ones we read about.

Outofmydepth

2 or three days on duty 24/7

I don't think it's physically possible to work 2 or 3 days 24/7. The seven means seven days. I believe you meant they're on duty 24 hours straight for 2 or 3 days. Which, of course, is insane. What are they? Taxi drivers? But that would explain the beds in the kobans.

I pity them their working hours, too. My brother-in-law was a cop in the states and he worked an 8 hour shift and was home with his kids enjoying life each and every day until he retired.

You might as well ask whether the average JT reader is competent to judge the competence (or lack thereof) of the Japanese police. Many foreign governments have one or more law enforcement liaison officials in Japan. In addition, the respective branches of the U.S. military with bases in Japan all have CID or CIS officers/agents who work in Japan and frequently deal with the Japanese police. If JT really is interested in assessing the competence of the Japanese police, why not ask for the views of some of the non-Japanese law enforcement personnel who have either worked with the Japanese police or who have observed the Japanese police at work?

Japanese police are not subject to criticism from Japan's guests. You follow the law, or you go to jail. Don't like it? Go home.

nigelboy...Wow, a little hot under the collar today? Respectfully, you are cherry-picking as well. You want to discuss only four crimes. I believe you measure the effectiveness of cops by ALL major crimes. And, if you read Terrie Lloyd's column today, you'd see that he quotes an arrest rate of only 31.2%. Arrest, not clearance. And, where exactly is the "biased rant" in my post. It is FACT, not rant, that Japan has a lower overall crime rate, so hence fewer crimes to clear in the first place. Second, it is FACT, not rant, that many crimes in Japan, especially things like sexual assault/molestation/groping/etc. go un-reported. But, please, defend your precious adopted-home against these "rants" if you must. Oh, and one final stat -- the homicide conviction rate for the Hawker's and Blackman's is 0.00%. Defend that.

taikan

In addition, the respective branches of the U.S. military with bases in Japan all have CID or CIS officers/agents who work in Japan and frequently deal with the Japanese police. If JT really is interested in assessing the competence of the Japanese police, why not ask for the views of some of the non-Japanese law enforcement personnel who have either worked with the Japanese police or who have observed the Japanese police at work?

Please (re)read my post from 11:36 PM JST - 2nd June above. As the senior US military law enforcement officer in the region at the time I believe I qualify...

Japanese police are not subject to criticism from Japan's guests. You follow the law, or you go to jail. Don't like it? Go home.

ampontan-

what is that!? The question was to all JT readers, regardless of status. Anyway...back on topic.

Nagoyagaijin- couldn't agree with you more.

think the general sense of "Japanese police incompetence" comes from the reports we see. When all we see are those BIG mistakes, then we tend to get a negative impression of the local po-po. In a way, it's very similar to the general sentiments against American military personnel...we see reports of the bad stuff..not of the good stuff.

So, in short...I don't think anyone would be as incompetent as we JT posters tend to make the police out to be. We just comment on the incompetent ones we read about.

I can cite on example. I was stopped at a row of vending machines at 5 AM on a country road (getting my morning dose of canned toxins on the way to work). A J-cop on a motorbike was stopped right next to me getting the same. Two cars come racing by side-by-side doing probably 120kph or more (on a 2-lane 40kph limit local road).

J-cops reaction? He leisurely drank his coffee and motored off ... in the opposite direction!

You want to discuss only four crimes. I believe you measure the effectiveness of cops by ALL major crimes

According to the FBI, they are classfied as violent crimes. But sure. I'll play that ALL major crimes which includes larceny/theft which accounts for BULK of the # of crimes and has the LOWEST % of clearance rates (as well as low % of arrest rates). But unfortunately, it's not going to help your argument if compared to "your precious" home, I'm afraid.

And, if you read Terrie Lloyd's column today, you'd see that he quotes an arrest rate of only 31.2%. Arrest, not clearance

And this is low? Be careful Jerseyboy.

As stated in the above, property crimes (burglary, theft, larceny) accounts for bulk of the crimes for both countries. And because of the low % of arrests for these type of crimes, it tends to have a big impact on dragging the arrest rate % down.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/offense_tabulations/table_01-01a.html

http://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h19/toukei/t1-04.pdf

For Japan, it was 27.1% for those type of crimes.

http://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h19/toukei/t1-07.pdf

In the U.S., there were 10,328,255 reported property crimes in 2004. Of which 1,628,693 were arrested. (15.7%)

It is FACT, not rant, that Japan has a lower overall crime rate, so hence fewer crimes to clear in the first place.

And...?

Second, it is FACT, not rant, that many crimes in Japan, especially things like sexual assault/molestation/groping/etc. go un-reported.

Yep. Another "Replace "Japan" with "country X" argument. Boring!

Oh, and one final stat -- the homicide conviction rate for the Hawker's and Blackman's is 0.00%. Defend that.

When all else fails, try to win some sympathy from a fellow gaijin crowd.

nigelboy, once again you are way off topic with your US stats. First, try to come to grips with two things... Americans report crimes, all and any that are perceived to be. Japanese ? No ! They have all but given up on the incompetents that run the show here. So much so that in one international study showed that 60% of Japanese would not report their car stolen ! Throw in the latest claims that Japanese precincts refuse to investigate unnatural deaths to preserve their low murder stats... and there ya go ! A society full of nothing more than smoke and mirrors ! But like PT barnum said... there's a sucker born every minute, guess who that might be !

Have any of you dealt with the police and how much here in Japan? The police here are brilliant. They do not judge. They police, as despite that being English, some people don't seem to understand.

Nessie, I would agree. I actually had the misfortune of having to work with Japan's police force. What a bunch of childish fools I found them to be. They stole from each other, engaged in sexual encounters with underage women, consistently lied to their bosses and co-workers about their daily routines, and spent a good part of their weekends drunk to the nines ! And then, would have the nads to brag about it to me come Monday morning ! What a serious disappointment they turned out to be ! And the ladies ? Nothing more than routine traffic control ! Parking tickets, bicycle safety speeches at the local schools. Nothing more than cute girls in cute uniforms, hell I can see that at Akihabara !

http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/man-shoots-himself-after-being-holed-up-in-car-for-8-hours-in-saitama YES! The stupidest I've ever had the misfortune to encounter!

I've said it before, but it took 8-9 cops to deal with my wife and I when she got groped by a perv on the train. They seemed pretty incompetent for the 8 hours it took to take down our statements... 7 times. Unreal. I still think they were trying to wait us out until we were willing to drop the charges and lessen their work load. Truly a pathetic bunch of ninnies. They were nice enough to give us a ride home in the morning though.

I can even give you a example, some what similiar to someone's earlier post:

Summer of 2006, my mother flew in from NY to visit Japan and meet my better half and her family. We are out for the weekend in sight seeing and all, upon return sunday even while parking the car, my wife and mother entered our home to find that we had been robbed. Most of what was taken were my electronics (laptop, md players etc.). It took the Japanese authorities (which have a koban 3-5 minutes from the house which my wife ran to and found it empty), almost an hour to arrive. Upon their arrival, 10 officers came, three in plan clothes and the rest looked like newbies. They did their normal routine, black light the floors and the furniture to find prints (most of which were my own or my wifes), other prints found were not a match to either of us. Well to get to the point, once they were done with questions and blah blah blah, its 3am, they had been there for 5 hours doing nothing but asking and repeating the same nonsense. They left one of the recruits there and he continued to frustrate us with BS!!! I was about ready to choke him out......to get to the point, they are incompetent!!!!!

They stole from each other, engaged in sexual encounters with underage women, consistently lied to their bosses and co-workers about their daily routines, and spent a good part of their weekends drunk to the nines !

Cept for the theft, it sounds like a typical office.

Look, nigelboy and your ilk, don't get me started. I've worked with some of these people up close and personal and I can tell you there are some prime lobotomy-gone-wrong boofheads in this keystone force. (small cap by choice) The fundamental issue is this; they have a hard time keeping anyone on the fore as even many of the keystones themselves think its a stupid job, especially the young graduates and hang on till something else comes along for the most part.

Worse, they avoid the stress of crime itself, the very thing they're employed to be doing. So what in fact DO they do Nuts? Look for stress free misdemeanors for the most part, that's what. It's also a Judo/Kendo OB culture and if you're outside this network things can be even grimmer.

It's a long and bitter complaint on my part but I should add, from the right side of the law. I've never had any problems personally but observed their idiocy, sometimes spectacular idiocy first hand and know what I'm talking about.

Pity we couldn't have a few beers and I'd tell you something that I have no doubt would sway you over...

they have a hard time keeping anyone on the fore (force?) because of the ridiculous hours.

sorry cleo as I know this is a toughie for you with a daughter on the force. Read 'force'. But it's true, most of the graduate cops seem to keep an eye out for other work these days. The system needs a big overhaul.

The cops here are so effective that they feel videotaping their interrogations of suspects would somehow make life easier for criminals, and the Justice Minister - who is supposed to be representing a 'justice' system based on a proper regard for human rights - agrees with them...!

nuts -

Straight from the horse's mouth, she loves her job and the pay is good, but the hours are killin'.

I agree with you that the system needs overhauling, shaking up, chucked out on the floor and start again.

1 word... "yakuza"

They operate here without much issue, of course the Japanese police are incompetent.

gogogo

Yes but the Yakuza are an integral part of Jpns culture, hence they are left to do as the wish 95% of the time

nutsagain.

Enough with your so-called personal experience OK? There nothing more than "rants" unless you can prove your so-called experience over the net. You might as well be another frustrated gaijin English teacher whose existence don't matter to me.

Back it up for a change will ya?

GW: That's BS, that's like saying the Italian mafia is an integral part of Italy. It's not a culture it is a CRIME RING!

J-police:

1) No cultural and historic background, other to be a useless club for numpties and war veterans, stitched together by Mc.Arthur in 5 minutes back in the good old days.

2) Therefore in good tradition to the japanese hierarchy , with the asocial bunch (from point one) as tradition setters.

3) Tipical japanese wrong and useless male prides, affecting mostly reatards and megalomans. The kind of peeps, who think actually the society should raise their children and women in general are on the same level as animals.

4) Promoting multiculture and interests in other languages and countries is the last thing that will happen within the J-Police.

5) Yakuza clans are controling the Kobans, the mayor elections, the city police stations. Sometimes maybe only for 10%, but mostly over 40% for sure.

6) There are useless peoples all over the world, the EU has plenty of them, plenty in the Eu-police as well . . but as europe has a tradition to fight for the peoples rights, scum in the police society doesn't really survive that long and has a hard time to performe the asocial behaviors , the J-Police seems to be performing with out borders . . .

Does anyone remember the hoo-hah 3 years ago when 2 Japanese cops were confronted by a guy armed with a baseball bat? They ran away! Sadly for them a camera crew managed to record the incident.

One case of incompetence.

Right here on Japan Today! Read and weep (or laugh!)

Kitakyushu cops’ indiscretions come under scrutiny

Nice try Cleo... you have singlehandidly flooded this thread with every attempt to put a positive spin on a wayward duck ! Fact is, this poster remains unconvinced. I too have had extensive experience working with Japan's police force. Varios domestic training sessions, international conferences, Riot control, Embassy postings, the "KOAN"... etc ! In every single case I have left the training thinking, what a complete group of idiots and boobs ! Not a leader in the mix ! More interested in getting drunk and surfing the net for porn than going the extra mile to become a true professional. You would be surprised Cleo at the looks on the Japanese faces when they are first introduced to real men and women of the other nations police forces. They stand there slack jawed mumbling "dekaii" and "sugoii" ! After a few hours of intense drilling on crowd control and room searches... well the Japanese look like a bunch of whipped pups, they wanna go home and rethink their lives. But you can rest be assured, a day or two later and it's back to beers and porn ! Buncha losers ! I am truly embarrassed to admit I work with the lot !

I should also point out that working long hours is no excuse for ineptitude.

yes they are

Nice try yerself, westurn....You remain unconvinced, so do I.

mumbling "dekaii" and "sugoii" !

You mean it's size that makes 'real men and women'? If that were true, Manuel Uribe would be king of the world and Carol Yager his queen.

So tell me, how many innocent people have the Japanese cops shot by mistake in the past, say, ten years? How many disabled or elderly people have been tasered by Japanese police because they didn't move quickly enough? How many loved and loving family pets have been shot dead by Japanese police because the big tough flat out bad ass officer was scared of a pup with a waggly tail?

What are the numbers for the L-sized 'brave individuals' of the police forces you want us to turn to for inspiration?

Incompetence isn't about size.

Cleo,

how many innocent people have the Japanese Police sent down the river in the past ten years? In Japanese society you might as well kill such people - as their lives are virtually over.

"So tell me, how many innocent people have the Japanese cops shot by mistake in the past, say, ten years?"

Not sure about innocent but I know of one cop in Koku that stalked a young lady for weeks before firing on her... does that count ?

Better yet Cleo, how many criminals remain free today because the J cops don't have the guts to haul them in. I can think of thousands of Yakuzas, bozuzokus, prostitutes, robbers, rapers, and all manner of thugs that just laugh at your brave police force ! Starviking brought up the video a while back of the J cops running from a pipe weilding nutjob ! And Ichihashi actually eluded the nations finest in barefeet... while being surrounded at every corner ! Give it up Cleo, J cops are pathetic. The results speak for themselves as J citizens no longer even contact them for help. As for size ? Not my words... those were the words of your fine officers in uniform... and gee Cleo, I thought they were talking about the size of the courage and moral integrity of the person in the uniform... not the size of the uni !

I cannot say either way, as I've never been directly nvolved with them, save about 9 years ago when I parked my bike at a station McDonald's. The cop that eyesd me there gave me a verbal warning. Per the stories I've read about how they investigate, though, I have to agree that they seem rather inept.....

And lest we forget...

"Police discourage autopsies that might reveal a higher homicide rate in their jurisdiction, and pressure doctors to attribute unnatural deaths to health reasons, usually heart failure, the group alleges. Odds are, it says, that people are getting away with murder in Japan, a country that officially claims one of the lowest per capita homicide rates in the world.

“You can commit a perfect murder in Japan because the body is not likely to be examined,” says Hiromasa Saikawa, a former member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police security and intelligence division. He says senior police officers are “obsessed with statistics because that’s how you get promotions,” and strive to reduce the number of criminal cases as much as possible to keep their almost perfect solution rate."

Buffoons, the whole bunch !

Japanese police 'incompetence' cannot be measured by a handful of admittedly stupid gaffs that are committed on an almost daily basis by 'real men and women' on police forces outside Japan. And Japanese police 'incompetence' does not run to routinely (so often that it rarely makes the national news, it's just 'one of those things') shooting down innocent, unarmed civilians. And their dogs.

<strong>Moderator: Comparisons to police in other countries are not relevant to this discussion.</strong>

I wouldn't go too far either.

The attacked Gaijin , the J-Police victimes, forget sometimes how it is back home as well. I remember the gaijin wanting a coke from the drink machine at night. The machine eats his 1000Yen and no drink comes out. First thing you do back in europe at night in this situation is hit the carp out of the bloody machine, that's what he did! One minute after the J-Cops from the local Koban turn up and arrest him in the same manner as the they arrest terrorists in Iraq. Accusing the gaijin to rob the machine . . .lol Now we can bash the Koban monks for that, but what would any french, german or luxembourgish cop do if he gets called by locals that some polish, yugoslavian, turqish or algerian guy tries to rob the drink machine at night??? Certainly not kiss him, if the guy doesn't speak a bit of the local language.

Crimes happen every where and in such crowded cities as japan it wonders me that the J-Police hasn't turned into the same sort of dudes you find in the mexican or columbian police . . .! So I think they are doing the crap job , they are doing it bad, but japan and the gainjin minorities won't die because of it. Bad luck is maybe the thing you don't need with the J-Cops!

That's BS, that's like saying the Italian mafia is an integral part of Italy. It's not a culture it is a CRIME RING!

gogogo

you obviously have never been to Jpn then have you, if you have it must have been a short stay or yr not paying attn, Yakuza hide in PLAIN SIGHT in Jpn & pretty do as they pls, they are very well integrated into the regular economy, they own businesses, stock, dine with politicians, attend many social functions, they are ABSOLUTELY part of J-culture,

i also got into a fender bender once

Me too. I was the guy running away. I saw the cops racing to the scene. I thought for sure they were going to catch me, but they just waved back.

Are Japanese police really as incompetent as readers on Japan Today make them out to be?

Huh?

whats all this then

Western, do you really want the Japanese police to turn into western police who are brutal, controlling, and rude? I`ll take the Japanese police any day. Compare the crime rates of Western countries with Japan and see which is working more effectively. Sometimes overbearing police can drive volatile ppl to crime. No country his a 100% rate at solving crimes, and as I mentioned before there was a murder near my house and it was solved very quickly. I have no complaints about the Japanese police at all.

Same here jewel! My husband just had to deal with a buttheaded Phoenix police this morning. He accused him of speeding and refused to show my husband the reading on the radar gun. Here, you can't even ask for directions from a Phoenix police without rudeness.

The Japanese Police are law unto themselves. They rely heavily on police powers rather than upholding basic freedoms and their constitution. When criticized, they quote the constitution and aspects of the Police Act with alacrity, but this is just in form and not in substance, as they quote these provisions only and don't say how they apply them.

They have created the Safety Commission system for complaints against the police. These commissions are comprised of individual zone commissioners to the central commission. Hence they have an interest in protecting the local police officer/station from the zones they head, and can never be objective. They simply dismiss complaints with a one liner: " The commission found there was no wrong done in this case.", and don't entertain any further correspondence. They flaw in their procedure is that they take the complaint, go to the local police for their version, and don't give the complainant a chance to response to the police's version. The Japanese don't understand the audi alterem partem principle, and rely on dogmatic power and authority rather than fairness and justice.

These standards form the fibre of the Japanese fabric of society hence there are problems in the education sector, labour and legal system, amongst others. It is all about sustaining 'sameness' over the ages, and not the constitution and democracty.