A study of the Japanese police system, taking a comparative approach in which the author compares many Japanese police practices side by side with US policy practices. It places the investigation of police behaviour within the setting of other criminal justice institutions such as the courts.

This study draws on direct observation of Japanese police practices combined with interviews of police officials, criminal justice practitioners, legal scholars, and private citizens. It incorporates data collected from different parts of Japan, including documents, reports, and other written material. As a key feature, the study compares many Japanese police practices side by side with U.S. police practices. It also places the investigation of police behavior within the setting of other criminal justice institutions such as the courts and prisons, and considers the role of the police in the broader cultural and historical Japanese framework.

Overview: crime in Japan and the United States
the historical and legal framework
overview of police
Koban police
attitudes of police toward their work
the Hokkaido and Okayama prefectural police forces
the investigation of crime
courts, corrections and probabtion
crime by foreigners
crisis with youth
the police and the community.