
are
tactical detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...
units of Japanese
prefectural police
In the Law enforcement in Japan, law enforcement system in Japan, are prefecture-level Law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies responsible for Police, policing, law enforcement, and public security within their respective Prefectures of ...
forces. Special Investigation Teams are maintained by prefectural police headquarters (PPH) and are trained to handle critical incidents including
criminal investigation
Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal trials. A complete criminal investigation can include Search and seizure, searching, interviews, interrogations, Evidence (law), ...
and tactical operations.
Background History
In the 1960s, serious criminal cases such as
kidnapping
Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...
,
aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking (also known as airplane hijacking, skyjacking, plane hijacking, plane jacking, air robbery, air piracy, or aircraft piracy, with the last term used within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States) is the Crime, ...
,
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
, and
bomb
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...
ings became an increasingly noticeable problem in Japan. The
kidnapping of Yoshinobu Murakoshi, a four-year-old child, was the catalyst for the establishment of SITs. In this case, police detective
Hachibē Hiratsuka was able to apprehend the suspect, but was too late to save the victim.
It became clear that traditional criminal investigation systems were sluggish and outdated for these new-style, rapid-tempo, and sometimes lethal cases. As a response to these problems, 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 ...
(TMPD) established the SIT unit within its Criminal Investigation Bureau in 1964. These detectives were well acquainted with new technology and special tactics to track and capture the criminals quickly and accurately.
At the beginning, the name "SIT" came from an acronym of its
romanized
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and transcription, ...
Japanese unit name, , but later, the origin of its name as an acronym of its English nickname, Special Investigation Team, was added afterwards by misunderstanding from an officer who is fluent in English.
This idea achieved a great success that in 1970, 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 ...
(NPA) requested the establishment of these kind of units for other prefectural police forces throughout Japan. These detectives also became responsible for intervening and rescuing when hostages were in danger. In 1992, TMPD strengthened the SWAT capability by incorporating several SAP operators into its SIT.
Organization
Structure
All unit are established in the of each prefectural police headquarters (PPHs). These units are generally local-based, so organizations (including their unit names) and equipment are varied. Among them, the Special Investigations Team (SIT) of the TMPD and the Martial Arts Attack Team (MAAT) of the
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
PPH are the first units to be created and still the most prominent units nationwide.
In the First Criminal Investigation Division of the TMPD, the following units are assigned for special criminal investigation activities:
*
**
**
*
**
**
**
*
**
**
Of all these units, Units One and Two are in charge of hostage cases and especially known as "SIT". As of the early 2000s, there were over 60 detectives in total for these seven units, and about 30 detectives with Unit One and Two alone. On the contrary, some rural PPHs assign only one or two detectives to these offices, so in case of tactical operations, these units can be reinforced by detectives of , first responders for initial criminal investigations.
When rural prefectural police are struggling with an investigation, the NPA orders the TMPD or Osaka Prefectural Police to dispatch advisors. This custom evolved into the as a formal institution of the NPA, being made up of experienced detectives selected from across the country. These detectives usually work at their respective PPHs, but they may be dispatched to other PPHs to provide advice to the local commander as needed.
The Task Force also conducts research on special investigations, such as participating in training at the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
and regular joint training sessions are held to disseminate its outcomes. The TMPD's SIT has also received advice on tactical operations from the Far East Field Office of the
Naval Criminal Investigative Service
The United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) is the primary investigative law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Navy. Its primary function is to investigate major criminal activities involving the Nav ...
in
Yokosuka
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
, the city has a population of 373,797, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th-most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city i ...
.
Capabilities
Detectives mandated for special investigation are trained to perform tactical operations, criminal investigation, and
manhunts. They are also capable of
telephone tapping
Wiretapping, also known as wire tapping or telephone tapping, is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connecti ...
,
stakeouts,
surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...
, and
crisis negotiation. They are not responsible for
counterterrorism
Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and Intelligence agency, intelligence ...
, which is the responsibility of security divisions, such as
Special Assault Teams (SAT) or
Anti-Firearms Squads. However, in some rural prefectures such as
Aomori
, officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
, these detectives can form a counter-terrorism task force together with uniformed officers and riot specialists.
In addition to standard service handguns (
.38 Special caliber
revolver
A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
s such as
New Nambu M60, or
.32 ACP caliber
semi-automatic pistol
A semi-automatic pistol (also called a self-loading pistol, autopistol, or autoloading pistol) is a repeating firearm, repeating handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridge (firearms), cartridges in its chamber (firearms), chamber afte ...
s such as
SIG Sauer P230
The SIG Sauer P230 is a small, semi-automatic handgun chambered in .32 ACP or .380 ACP, .380 Auto. It was designed by SIG Sauer branch in Eckernförde, Germany. It was imported into the United States by SIGARMS in 1985. In 1996 it was replaced by ...
), some units are equipped with large
9×19mm Parabellum
The 9×19mm Parabellum (also known as 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO or simply 9mm) is a Rim (firearms)#Rimless, rimless, Centerfire ammunition, centerfire, tapered cartridge (firearms), firearms cartridge.
Originally designed by Austrian firearm designer ...
caliber semi-automatic pistols (
Beretta 92
The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy.
History
Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Mazzetti and Vittorio Valle, all experienced firearms designers, contributed to ...
Vertec, for example) and
pistol-caliber carbines (
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 (, ) is a submachine gun developed in the 1960s by German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. It uses a similar modular design to the Heckler & Koch G3, and has over 100 variants and clones, including selective fire, Se ...
SFK,
semi-automatic variant of MP5K with
foldable stock). They also use
non-lethal weapon
Non-lethal weapons, also called nonlethal weapons, less-lethal weapons, less-than-lethal weapons, non-deadly weapons, compliance weapons, or pain-inducing weapons are weapons intended to be less likely to kill a living target than convention ...
s such as the
FN 303 or BGL-65.
SIT units are required to apprehend suspects alive. For this reason, they do not maintain their own sniper teams; if necessary, the security divisions would dispatch
sniper
A sniper is a military or paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with telescopic si ...
teams to the site.
SIT or similar units
As mentioned above, SIT or similar units have various names and may not have a specific name if they are small in number. The units whose names are known from media reports are as follows:
* Special Investigation Team -
Akita,
Iwate,
Ibaraki,
Miyagi,
Fukushima,
Tochigi,
Shizuoka,
Aichi,
Mie,
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
,
Nagasaki
, officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
, and
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
* Martial Arts Attack Team -
Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
*
Assault Response Team -
Chiba
* Special Tactical Section -
Saitama
* Special Investigation Section -
Kanagawa
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...
* Technical Special Team -
Aomori
, officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
* Hostage Rescue Team -
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
* Martial Attacking Rescue Section -
Ehime
Known Operations
In May 2007, in a hostage crisis case in Nagoya, an ex-yakuza gangster named was captured after he killed , an Aichi SAT operative. The situation resulted in a debate in a Diet Committee on whether the Aichi SIT should have changed tactics from negotiating with Obayashi since the SIT unit at the time had a negotiator dispatched to help the SAT unit.
On May 25, 2023, the Tokyo SIT and the Kanagawa Prefectural Police's
Special Assault Team was mobilized in Nagano response to requests for assistance from the NPP in a shooting/stabbing spree.
On October 31, 2023, the Tokyo SIT was sent to Warabi, Saitama in response to a hostage situation at the local JP Post office to assist the Saitama Prefectural Police based on requests.
Controversies
On July 17, 2020, an officer with the TMPD's First Criminal Investigation Division was arrested for committing fraud.
See also
*
Research and Intervention Brigade – similar units of the
National Police in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
*
LAPD Special Investigation Section – similar unit of the
Los Angeles Police Department
The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
References
Books
*
*
*
*
*
{{Japanese Special forces
Government agencies established in 1964
1964 establishments in Japan
SIT
Sitting is a List of human positions, basic action and resting position in which the body weight is supported primarily by the bony ischial tuberosities with the buttocks in contact with the ground or a horizontal surface such as a chair seat, ...
SIT
Sitting is a List of human positions, basic action and resting position in which the body weight is supported primarily by the bony ischial tuberosities with the buttocks in contact with the ground or a horizontal surface such as a chair seat, ...
SIT
Sitting is a List of human positions, basic action and resting position in which the body weight is supported primarily by the bony ischial tuberosities with the buttocks in contact with the ground or a horizontal surface such as a chair seat, ...