The is the prefectural police force responsible, under the control of the Aichi Prefectural Public Safety Commission, for policing

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

. The mascot character is "Konoha-keibu", or "Chief Inspector Konoha" (

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: コノハけいぶ, Hepburn: ''Konoha Keibu''), named after the prefectural bird, the

Eurasian scops owl The Eurasian scops owl (''Otus scops''), also known as the European scops owl, common scops owl or just scops owl, is a small owl in the typical owl family Strigidae. Its breeding range extends from southern Europe eastwards to southern Siberia a ...

(

: コノハズク, Hepburn: ''Konohazuku'', thus got its name.).

History

Its origins date back to 1871 ( Meiji 4), when its predecessor organisation, the Aichi Division of Police was founded. The Aichi Division of Police was under the control of the Police Bureau of the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

Home Ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a Ministry (government department), government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law e ...

from 1873 to 1947, when the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

passed the Police Act 1947 during Allied occupation. After this, the newly organised National Rural Police took over policing the Aichi prefecture. After further reform of the Police Act in 1954, local police forces were organised by prefecture and made independent under the monitoring and guidance of the

National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: National Revolut ...

, and the current Aichi Prefectural Police was created. Further centralization efforts led to the merging of the Nagoya City Police in to the Aichi Prefectural Police in July 1955. Uniquely, the Aichi Prefectural Police operated a prefecture-wide fingerprinting scheme from 1955 to 1970. Aichi was the only prefecture in Japan to do so. Under the scheme, all school leavers were required to give all ten of their fingerprints to the police. The purpose of collecting fingerprint data was officially to assist in identifying accident victims. During the program, there were over 2 million prints registered. However, in 1970, after an unidentified body was found in the neighboring

Nagano prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

, it was discovered that Nagano's police force had been given access to Aichi's fingerprint data. Privacy concerns were raised at the prefectural assembly, and the scheme was abolished as a result.

Organization

The Aichi Prefectural Police is under the command of a Senior Commissioner and reports directly to the Aichi Prefectural Public Safety Commission.

Police Headquarters

General Affairs Department * General Affairs Division * Information Management Division * Public Relations Division * Detention Management Division * Facility Management Division * Accounting Division * Equipment Division * Office of the Hearing Officer Public Safety Department * Public Safety Division * Resident Service Division/Information Disclosure Center * Education Division * Welfare Division * Office of the Inspector Public Safety Department * Public Safety General Affairs Division * Personal Safety Division ** The command system for countermeasures against stalking has the police headquarters as the main control, and has a command system that commands each police station. * Juvenile Division * Safety-Security Division * Economy Division * Cyber Crimes Division * Information Technology Strategy Division * Public Safety Special Investigation Team Regional Department * Regional General Affairs Division * Communications Command Division * Police Aviation Division * Motor Vehicle Enforcement ( Kita-ku,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

) ** Main Unit ( Kita-ku,

) ** Meitō Branch ** Meinan Branch ( Tōkai) ** Owari Branch ** Nishimikawa Branch ** Higashimikawa Branch * Railway Police ** Main Unit ( Nakamura-ku,

) ** Toyohashi Branch (

Toyohashi is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefec ...

) Detectives Department * Detective General Affairs * Information Analysis and Investigation Division * First Investigative Division * Second Investigative Division * Third Investigative Division * Forensics Division * Mobile Investigation Unit ** Nagoya Subdivision *** Main Unit ( Kita-ku,

) *** Nakagawa Branch ( Nakagawa-ku,

) *** South Branch ( Minami-ku, Nagoya) *** Kasugai Branch ( Kasugai) *** Ichinomiya Branch (

Ichinomiya is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...

) *** Tokai Branch ( Tokai) ** Mikawa Subdivision *** Okazaki Branch (

Okazaki Okazaki may refer to: *Okazaki (surname) *Okazaki, Aichi, a city in Japan *Okazaki Castle, a castle in Japan *Okazaki fragments Okazaki fragments are short sequences of DNA nucleotides (approximately 150 to 200 base pairs long in eukaryotes) w ...

) *** Toyota Branch (

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

) *** Toyohashi Branch (

) * Criminal Special Investigation Unit * Forensic Laboratory * Organized Crime Task Force ** Organized Crime Division ** Fourth Investigative Division (

Kudo-kai The is a yakuza group headquartered in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 200 active members. The Kudo-kai has been a purely independent syndicate ever since its foundation, and has caused numerous conflicts wit ...

Special Task Force Office) ** Drug and Firearms Division ** International Investigative Division Traffic Department * Traffic General Affairs Division * Traffic Guidance Division ** Nagoya traffic violation notification center (Ahara-cho, Minami-ku,

) ** Ichinomiya traffic violation notification center (Honmachi,

) ** Okazaki traffic violation notification center (Myodaiji-cho,

) ** Toyohashi traffic violation notification center (Hachimachi-dori,

) * Traffic Investigation Division * Traffic Regulation Division * Parking Task Force Division * Traffic Control Division (Road traffic information is provided to

radio broadcasts Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

, etc. Japan Road Traffic Information Center - Nagoya Center broadcasts from here) *

Driver's License A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, ca ...

Division * Driver's License Exam Center ( Tempaku-ku,

) * Higashimikawa Driver's License Center (

Toyokawa is a Cities of Japan, city in the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 183,930 in 72,949 households, and a population density of 1,141 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Toyokawa, famou ...

) * First Traffic Enforcement Division ( Kita-ku,

) ** Meihoku Subdivision ** Meinan Subdivision ** Guerrilla Subdivision ** Bosōzoku Task Force * Second Traffic Enforcement Division (

) ** Nishimikawa Subdivision ** Higashimikawa Subdivision * Highway Traffic Patrol ** Nagoya East Branch ( Meitō-ku,

) ** Nagoya West Branch ( Kita-ku,

) ** Handa Branch ( Handa) ** Okazaki Branch (

) ** Toyota Branch (

) Security Department * Security General Affairs Division **

Cyber Attack A cyberattack (or cyber attack) occurs when there is an unauthorized action against computer infrastructure that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its content. The rising dependence on increasingly complex and inte ...

Special Investigation Team * First Public Security Division * Second Public Security Division * Third Public Security Division * Security Division * Disaster Response Division * Foreign Affairs Division * Tactical Riot Police (

Komaki is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,872 in 68,174 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city was . Komaki is commonly associated with the former Komaki Airport, whi ...

) * G20 Summit Response Division Nagoya Division of Police * Planning and Coordination Division Aichi Prefectural Police Academy * General Affairs Department * Academic Affairs Department * Liberal Arts and Technical Education Department

Data

As of 1 April 2022 *

Police Stations A police station is a facility operated by police or a similar law enforcement agency that serves to accommodate police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The role served by a police station varies by agency, type, and jurisdiction, ...

- 45 *

Kōban A is a small neighborhood police station found in Japan. The term also refers to the smallest organizational unit in a modern Law enforcement in Japan, Japanese prefectural police force. Small kōban buildings, staffed by uniformed officers at ...

Police Boxes - 384 * Residential Police Boxes - 152 * Sworn Officers - 13,554 * Civilian Staff Members - 958 * Police Cars - 786 (Marked Vehicles) * Police Motorcycles - 252 * Police Boats - 7 ** "愛1" "Aichi" 23m Type (Minato Police Station) ** "愛2" "Tokoname" 17m Type (Tokoname Police Station) ** "愛3" "Chita" 12m Type (Handa Police Station) ** "愛5" "Nikkō" 12m Type (Minato Police Station) ** "愛6” ”Irako" 12m Type (Toyohashi Police Station) ** "愛7" "Chitachidori" 8m Type (Minato Police Station) ** "愛8" "Aoi" 8m Type (Minato Police Station) ** (Retired) "愛2" "Nagoya" (Tokoname Police Station) *

Helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

s - 4 * Police Dogs - 10

Recent events

In 2005, with the opening of

Chubu Centrair International Airport is an international airport on an artificial island (which also houses the ) in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan. The airport covers about 470 hectares (1,161 acres) of land and has one runway. ...

Tokoname is a Cities of Japan, city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 57,872 in 24,872 households, and a population density of 1,035 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Tokoname is located on ...

and the Aichi Expo 2005, the English 'POLICE' marking was added to the sides of police vehicles to make it clear to foreigners that it is a police vehicle. (The Kagoshima Prefectural Police did this first in 1999. After that, it spread to the

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The , known locally as simply the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), is the prefectural police of Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Founded in 1874, the TMPD is the largest police force in Japan by number of officers, with a staff of more than 4 ...

, Chiba, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Tokushima, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Okinawa Prefectural Police Departments.) On 17 May 2007, a member of the Aichi Prefectural Police Special Assault Team was killed in Nagakute after a man took his ex-wife hostage. During the 29 hour standoff, the police lieutenant was shot in the neck while approaching the perpetrator when a dog barked, alerting him to the lieutenant's presence. According to the investigation report, it would be another five hours before he could be rescued, and by then, he could no longer be saved. The report recommended that bulletproof vests be more widely provided and that better sniper support be given in such situations.

Scandals

*In July 2012, an Aichi police sergeant was arrested after being found with an illegal handgun and counterfeit currency in his car. *On 19 September 2013, a Detective Chief Inspector was arrested on suspicion of leaking investigation information to the Kodo-kai. *On 17 September 2014, several items of collected evidence were found dumped in the mountains near Seto City. Aichi Prefectural Police suspected that officers involved in the case intentionally disposed of the evidence. *On 23 June 2015, a vehicle belonging to the Criminal Investigation Department's international investigation unit collided with a student on a bicycle in

Chiba prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama ...

. The student was severely injured. *On 4 December 2022, Man left naked, bound, with head in toilet bowl was found dead in police custody.Man left naked, bound, with head in toilet bowl before death in Japan police cell
17 December 2022

Gallery

File:TOYOTA_170_system_Crown_police_car.jpg, Aichi Prefectural Police patrol car File:Patrol_Car_of_Nissan_SAFARI_001.JPG, Nissan Safari police vehicle File:Aichi_Prefectural_Police_Department_Building.JPG, Aichi Prefectural Police Department Headquarters (Taisho era) File:Nagoya_City_Municipal_Police_Building.JPG, Nagoya City Police Headquarters in 1950

References

{{Aichi Prefectural police of Japan

Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

1871 establishments in Japan