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Tokyo: Do you have a positive or negative image of the police?

by Mark Buckton

Yoko Hayashi
Company employee, 38 (Japanese)
I have a pretty negative impression of the police overall, in large part as a result of repeated cases of young women reporting stalkers, the police then failing to act, and the stalkers eventually killing the women.

Jason Koehler
Restaurateur, 40 (American)
Overall positive, because they are fairly approachable, but I do sometimes wish they would do more than give directions, such as cracking down on people smoking on the street where streets are clearly marked as “no smoking.”

Kazuo Yoshida
Talent manager, 50 (Japanese)
I have a good image of them, as they are very important in our daily life, and without the police presence we would face many problems with lawlessness, and no resolution of things like traffic accidents and neighborhood rows.

Momoyo Chiba
Tattoo artist, 25 (Japanese)
I really don’t have a good image of the police because of a couple of stalking cases a few years ago when the police failed to act, and the girls being stalked were eventually murdered. What is there to admire after that?

Colin Carter
Teacher, 50 (English)
I’m not impressed with the police because more often than not they slow to react, and whilst they might have strong points in some areas, in others they are straight on the foreigners regardless.

Hiroshi Hashimoto
Interior decorator, 42 (Japanese)
I don’t have a good impression at all. Stories of amakudari (cushy postretirement jobs), graft and wrongful arrest are more the norm than the exception. There are some cops that try hard but most people think they are bad, which is sad.

Interested in gathering views in your neighborhood? E-mail community@japantimes.co.jp

  • Fábio Tanaka

    One thing is the image that we have of the Japanese police when living outside Japan. Other is living here for 13 years now and noticing that the police is lazy, inneficient, corrupt, oportunistic and overrated. Crime rate is low in Japan not because of the police enforcement, and by crime we imagine murder and robbery, but take the cases of corruption, fraud (sagi), the ubiquitous yakuza… We are defenseless, while those policemen perform their best giving speed tickets.

  • Mats Eri

    Definitely not a good image of Japanese police. They are slow to react, as in stalking cases, have little or no investigative skills, forget they are public servants, have rough and abrasive manner. In the police eyes, you are guilty and that’s it. Unlike in western countries, once the police have you you are as good as convicted. Could never rely on them to help you in a problem situation.

  • http://www.facebook.com/john.l.odom.1 John L. Odom

    I have visited Tokyo 4 times. I speak no Japanese. I have each time had to ask the police at least once for help or directions. In each case they were most helpful and went far beyond my expectations in helping me.

Photos

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Yoko Hayashi, Company employee, 38 (Japanese), I have a pretty negative impression of the police overall, in large part as a result of repeated cases of young women reporting stalkers, the police then failing to act, and the stalkers eventually killing the women. Jason Koehler, Restaurateur, 40 (American), Overall positive, because they are fairly approachable, but I do sometimes wish they would do more than give directions, such as cracking down on people smoking on the street where streets are clearly marked as 'no smoking.' Kazuo Yoshida, Talent manager, 50 (Japanese), I have a good image of them, as they are very important in our daily life, and without the police presence we would face many problems with lawlessness, and no resolution of things like traffic accidents and neighborhood rows. Momoyo Chiba, Tattoo artist, 25 (Japanese), I really don't have a good image of the police because of a couple of stalking cases a few years ago when the police failed to act, and the girls being stalked were eventually murdered. What is there to admire after that?

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