JAPAN
Tackling organized crime in Southeast Asia
Japan sits on a maritime and air crossroads between Asia, the South Pacific and the Americas. This geographic location and the fact that Japan is one of the world’s leading economies make the country potentially attractive to local, regional and global organized crime groups.
INTERPOL in Japan
The Japanese NCB is part of the National Police Agency (NPA). It sits structurally in the Organized Crime Department of the Criminal Affairs Bureau.
Located at the NPA Headquarters, the Tokyo NCB serves as Japan’s global police liaison platform for criminal investigations, providing the NPA and national law enforcement agencies with a means of working at a global level.
Japanese Police take part regularly in global INTERPOL-led police operations which focus on regional organized crime.
National law enforcement
The NPA supervises and controls the police activities of 47 Prefectural Police Departments, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
The NPA is headed by a Commissioner General who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission (NPSC) with the approval of the Prime Minister.
The NPSC is made up of a Chairman (who holds the rank of Minister of State) and five other members. It administers the NPA and guarantees the neutrality of the police.