National Police Agency (Japan)

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National Police Agency
警察庁けいさつちょう
Keisatsu-chō
The Kyokujitsushou
The Kyokujitsushou
AbbreviationNPA
Agency overview
FormedJuly 1, 1954 (1954-07-01)
Preceding agency
Employees7,995 (2020)[1]
Annual budget¥360.348 billion (2020)[2]
Legal personalityLaw enforcement agency
Jurisdictional structure
National agencyJapan
Operations jurisdictionJapan
Operational structure
Headquarters2-1-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-8974, Japan
Civilians4,800
Agency executive
Parent agencyNational Public Safety Commission
Child agencies
Bureaus
5
  • Community Safety
  • Criminal Investigation
  • Traffic Bureau
  • Security Bureau
  • Cyber Affairs
Regional Bureaus
6
Website
www.npa.go.jp/english/index.html (in English)
www.npa.go.jp (in Japanese)
[3]
2nd Building of the Central Common Government Office, the building which houses the agency

The National Police Agency (警察庁けいさつちょう, Keisatsu-chō) is the central coordinating law enforcement agency of the Japanese police system. Unlike national police in other countries, the NPA does not have any operational units of its own aside from the Imperial Guard; rather, it is responsible for supervising Japan's 47 prefectural police departments and determining their general standards and policies, though it can command police agencies under it in national emergencies or large-scale disasters. It is under the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office.[4]

As of 2017, the NPA has a strength of approximately 7,800 personnel: 2,100 sworn officers, 900 guards, and 4,800 civilian staff.[5]

History[edit]

Police services of the Empire of Japan were placed under complete centralized control with the Police Affairs Bureau [ja] (警保局きょく, Keiho-kyoku) of the Home Ministry at their core. But after the surrender of Japan, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers regarded this centralized police system as undemocratic.[6]

During the occupation, the principle of decentralization was introduced by the 1947 Police Law. Cities and large towns had their own municipal police services (自治体じちたい警察けいさつ, Jichitai Keisatsu), and the National Rural Police [ja] (国家こっか地方ちほう警察けいさつ, Kokka Chihō Keisatsu) was responsible for smaller towns, villages and rural areas. But most Japanese municipalities were too small to have a large police force, so sometimes they were unable to deal with large-scale violence. In addition, excessive fragmentation of the police organization reduced the efficiency of police activities.[6]

As a response to these problems, complete restructuring created a more centralized system under the 1954 amended Police Law. All operational units except for the Imperial Guard were reorganized into prefectural police for each prefecture, and the National Police Agency was established as the central coordinating agency for these Police Departments.[6]

On April 1, 2022, the NPA created the Cyber Affairs Bureau and the National Cyber Unit.[7] On December 2023, the NPA announced that the TAIT (Telecom Scam Allianced Investigation Team) will be established on April 2024 to unify investigation efforts across Japan on fraud cases.[8]

Organization[edit]

Leadership[edit]

The Commissioner General of the National Police Agency (警察庁けいさつちょう長官ちょうかん, Keisatsu-chō Chōkan) is the highest ranking police officer of Japan, regarded as an exception to the regular class structure. For the Deputy Commissioner General (次長じちょう, Jichō), the Senior Commissioner is supplemented. The Commissioner General's Secretariat (長官ちょうかん官房かんぼう, Chōkan Kanbō) are their staff. The civilian political leadership is provided by the National Public Safety Commission.[6]

Internal Bureaus[9][edit]

Community Safety Bureau[edit]

The Community Safety Bureau (生活せいかつ安全あんぜん局きょく, Seikatsu Anzen-kyoku) is responsible for crime prevention, combating juvenile delinquency, and pollution control.[10]

This bureau was derived from the Safety Division of the Criminal Affairs Bureau in 1994.[11]

  • Community Safety Planning Division (生活せいかつ安全あんぜん企画きかく課か)
  • Personal Safety and Juvenile Division (人身じんしん安全あんぜん・少年しょうねん課か)
  • Safety Division (保安ほあん課か)
  • Director for Economic Crimes Investigation (生活せいかつ経済けいざい対策たいさく管理かんり官かん)

Criminal Affairs Bureau[edit]

The Criminal Affairs Bureau (刑事けいじ局きょく, Keiji-kyoku) is in charge of research statistics and coordination of the criminal investigation of nationally important and international cases.[10]

  • (Direct reporting divisions)
    • Criminal Affairs Planning Division (刑事けいじ企画きかく課か)
    • First Investigation Division (捜査そうさ第だい一いち課か)
    • Second Investigation Division (捜査そうさ第だい二に課か)
    • Director for Criminal Intelligence Support (捜査そうさ支援しえん分析ぶんせき管理かんり官かん)
    • Director for Criminal Identification (犯罪はんざい鑑識かんしき官かん)
  • Organized Crime Department (組織そしき犯罪はんざい対策たいさく部ぶ)
    • First Organized Crime Division (組織そしき犯罪はんざい対策たいさく第だい一いち課か)
    • Second Organized Crime Division (組織そしき犯罪はんざい対策たいさく第だい二に課か)
    • Director for International Investigative Operations (国際こくさい捜査そうさ管理かんり官かん)

Traffic Bureau[edit]

The Traffic Bureau (交通こうつう局きょく, Kōtsū-kyoku) is responsible for traffic policing and regulations. This bureau was derived from the Safety Bureau (保安ほあん局きょく, Hoan-kyoku) (later merged with the Criminal Affairs Bureau; predecessor of the Community Safety Bureau) in 1962 because of the expression indicating a high number of deaths from traffic accidents.[6][10]

  • Traffic Planning Division (交通こうつう企画きかく課か)
  • Traffic Enforcement Division (交通こうつう指導しどう課か)
  • Traffic Management and Control Division (交通こうつう規制きせい課か)
  • License Division (運転うんてん免許めんきょ課か)

Security Bureau[edit]

Main article: National Police Agency Security Bureau (Japan)

The Security Bureau (警備けいび局きょく, Keibi-kyoku) is in charge of the internal security affairs, such as counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism or disaster response.[6][10]

  • (Direct reporting divisions)
    • Security Planning Division (警備けいび企画きかく課か)
    • Public Security Division (公安こうあん課か)
  • Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Department (外事がいじ情報じょうほう部ぶ)
    • Foreign Affairs Division (外事がいじ課か)
    • Counter International Terrorism Division (国際こくさいテロリズム対策たいさく課か)
  • Security Operations Department (警備けいび運用うんよう部ぶ)
    • 1st Security Operations Division (警備けいび第だい一いち課か)
    • 2nd Security Operations Division (警備けいび第だい二に課か)
    • 3rd Security Operations Division (警備けいび第だい三さん課か)

After the 1996 Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Peru, the Security Bureau established the Terrorism Response Team where officers liaise with foreign law enforcement and intelligence agencies when Japanese interests or nationals are in danger.[12] It was later reformed to the Terrorism Response Team - Tactical Wing (TRT-2) for Overseas in order to meet with demands to coordinate with foreign police forces in assisting them whenever a terror attack has happened.[12]

Cyber Affairs bureau[edit]

The Cyber Affairs bureau (サイバー警察けいさつ局きょく, Saibā keisatsu-kyoku) is in charge of policing in cyberspace, combat with cybercrime and cyberterrorism. This bureau was restructured from the Info-Communications Bureau in 2022 by integrating cyber-related divisions in several bureaus.[13]

  • Cyber-Policy Planning Division (サイバー企画きかく課か)
  • Cybercrime Investigation Division (サイバー捜査そうさ課か)
  • Digital Analysis Division (情報じょうほう技術ぎじゅつ解析かいせき課か)

Local Branch Bureaus and Departments[edit]

Regional Police Bureaus[edit]

There are six Regional Police Bureaus (管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく), each responsible for a number of prefectures as below:[14]

Tōhoku Regional Police Bureau (東北とうほく管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく, Tōhoku Kanku Keisatsu-kyoku)
Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima Prefectures
Kantō Regional Police Bureau (関東かんとう管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく, Kantō Kanku Keisatsu-kyoku)
Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Niigata, Yamanashi, Nagano, and Shizuoka Prefectures
Chūbu Regional Police Bureau (中部ちゅうぶ管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく, Chūbu Kanku Keisatsu-kyoku)
Toyama, Ishikawa, Fukui, Gifu, Aichi, and Mie Prefectures
Kinki Regional Police Bureau (近畿きんき管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく, Kinki Kanku Keisatsu-kyoku)
Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Wakayama Prefectures
Chūgoku–Shikoku Regional Police Bureau (中国ちゅうごく四国しこく管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく, Chūgoku Shikoku Kanku Keisatsu-kyoku)
Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Hiroshima, and Yamaguchi Prefectures
Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi Prefectures
Kyūshū Regional Police Bureau (九州きゅうしゅう管区かんく警察けいさつ局きょく, Kyūshū Kanku Keisatsu-kyoku)
Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa Prefectures

They are located in major cities of each geographic region. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Hokkaido Prefectural Police Headquarters are excluded from the jurisdiction of regional police bureaus. Headed by a Senior Commissioner, each regional police bureaus exercises necessary control and supervision over and provides support services to prefectural police within its jurisdiction, under the authority and orders of NPA's Commissioner General. Attached to each Regional Police Bureaus is a Regional Police School which provides police personnel with education and training required of staff officers as well as other necessary education and training.

Police Communications Departments[edit]

Metropolitan Tokyo and the island of Hokkaidō are excluded from the regional jurisdictions and are run more autonomously than other local forces, in the case of Tokyo, because of its special urban situation, and of Hokkaidō, because of its distinctive geography. The National Police Agency maintains police communications divisions in these two areas to handle any coordination needed between national and local forces. In other area, Police Communications Departments are established within each Regional Police Bureaus.

  • Independent Communications Departments
    • Tokyo Metropolitan Police Info-Communications Department (東京とうきょう都と警察けいさつ情報じょうほう通信つうしん部ぶ, Tōkyō-to Keisatsu Jōhō Tsūshin-bu)
    • Hokkaido Police Info-Communications Department (北海道ほっかいどう警察けいさつ通信つうしん情報じょうほう部ぶ, Hokkaidō Keisatsu Tsūshin Jōhō-bu)

Subsidiary Organs[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 行政ぎょうせい機関きかん職員しょくいん定員ていいん令れい（昭和しょうわ44年ねん5月がつ16日にち政令せいれい第だい121号ごう）（最終さいしゅう改正かいせい、令れい和わ2年ねん3月がつ30日にち政令せいれい第だい75号ごう） - e-Gov法令ほうれい検索けんさく
  2. ^ 令れい和わ2年度ねんど一般いっぱん会計かいけい予算よさん 財務省ざいむしょう
  3. ^ "Police of Japan". National Police Agency. Archived from the original on 2008-02-22. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  4. ^ Police of Japan, National Police Agency. "POLICE OF JAPAN - NATIONAL POLICE AGENCY | Office of Justice Programs". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  5. ^ National Police Agency (2018). POLICE OF JAPAN 2018 (Overview of Japanese Police) (PDF) (Report). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-04-07. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  6. ^ a b c d e f National Police Agency Police History Compilation Committee, ed. (1977). Japan post-war police history (in Japanese). Japan Police Support Association.
  7. ^ "Japan makes progress on international cyber probe collaboration". 4 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Police to Set up Special Fraud Investigation Team". 14 December 2023.
  9. ^ NPA. "Organization Chart". Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  10. ^ a b c d National Police Agency. "Mechanism of Police systems" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  11. ^ Japan Federation of Bar Associations. "Declaration on police activities and citizens' human rights" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  12. ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2011-03-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ Asahi Shinbun news papre. "NPA to create new bureau for cybersecurity threats". Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  14. ^ "Public Safety Commission System and Police Activity Support" (PDF). Japanese National Police Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2012-02-15.

External links[edit]

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