Cop forgets loaded gun in Tokyo restaurant toilet

A police officer is in hot water after he forgot a loaded handgun in a toilet stall at a Tokyo restaurant just after noon on Nov. 11, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has revealed.

Luckily for the 59-year-old assistant inspector, who is part of the MPD's increased security measures for the coming APEC summit in Yokohama, the weapon was turned in to a nearby police officer by restaurant staff just five minutes later, after the next customer to use the stall noticed the gun and notified the establishment. The revolver was still loaded with its original five bullets, and there was no sign it had been fired in the five minutes it was out of police hands.

According to the MPD, the assistant inspector came to the restaurant with another officer and went to the washroom at around 12:25 p.m., where he left the weapon along with its belt and holster. He apparently did not notice the gun was missing until he returned to his police vehicle, at which point he reported it missing to his superiors.

The officer was loaned to the public safety department on Nov. 5 this year.

"It is most unsatisfactory that such an incident occurred, especially during our heightened security precautions for the APEC summit," said Kenichi Sakurazawa of the MPD's police affairs section. The force is considering disciplinary action.

Mainichi

Nov. 12, 2010

Hyogo police officer busted for marijuana possession

KOBE -- A police officer here has been arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession, Hyogo Prefectural Police revealed.

Isao Fukuoka, 24, an officer at the force's Kakogawa Police Station, stands accused of violating the Cannabis Control Law. He has reportedly admitted to the allegations.

Investigators are questioning Fukuoka over how he obtained the drug and whether he used it.

In response to a tip that Fukuoka was using marijuana, investigators questioned him at prefectural police headquarters and found him in possession of about 2 grams of the drug -- worth approximately 12,000 yen -- in his wallet on the evening of Oct. 15, according to police.

Police lied over cause of death of Tottori man

TOTTORI -- A man with ties to a bar hostess arrested on suspicion of fraud was beaten prior to death, contrary to police announcements that he drowned, it has emerged.

Despite determining that foul play was involved, Tottori Prefectural Police told family and press that Hideki Maruyama, 57, had sustained no injuries and had drowned to death.

Maruyama, a self-employed man from Tottori, is among several who died while being known to have had contact with the 35-year-old hostess. He was found lying face-down in the Mani River on Oct. 7.

Senior prefectural police officers have defended their actions. One official told the Mainichi that they withheld the details "because we thought it was likely to be a criminal case."

Another high-ranking official offered: "It is more of a difference of views than falsehood. It's just that we do not release the causes of death."

According to Maruyama's brother, he thought his younger brother had been attacked after he noticed the victim's right eye was injured when he saw the body after an autopsy. He also heard from another person who saw the body that the victim had suffered deep wounds to the back of his hand and that his trousers had been torn.

Mainichi

November 7, 2009

Suspect flees from police station while officer dozes

NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo -- A man being questioned over a car break-in escaped from a police station while a 19-year-old officer dozed, sparking a search involving 170 officers before the suspect turned himself in.

Nishinomiya Police Station officials said the 32-year-old suspect, Takami Yonezawa, a resident of Osaka, escaped from the police station at about 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The station quickly deployed a search team with about 170 officers looking for the 32-year-old, who turned himself in at the same police station on Tuesday afternoon.

Officials said that Yonezawa was arrested on suspicion of stealing a bag from a vehicle in a coin-operated parking lot in Nishinomiya at about 3 a.m. on Monday. A 34-year-old sergeant and a 19-year-old officer began questioning Yonezawa in an investigation room at the police station at about 3:30 p.m. on Monday. However, when the sergeant left the room for about 10 minutes to print out a report, the suspect fled. The younger officer was dozing at the time and reportedly did not notice Yonezawa escaping.

Police said Yonezawa's handcuffs had been removed in the investigation room, but he was tied to a chair with a leash. The door to the room was unlocked, and Yonezawa apparently untied the leash and escaped through the corridor.

"It's extremely unfortunate that he escaped while we were questioning him," police station head Chiaki Yoneda said.

The 19-year-old officer had emerged from a police academy at the end of January, and was assigned to the police station, where he was undergoing criminal investigation training.

容疑者逃走：男が出頭、身柄を確保…兵庫県警西宮署

　兵庫県警西宮署内で窃盗容疑の取り調べを受けていた容疑者の男が逃走していた事件で、２１日午後、住所・職業不詳、米沢隆美容疑者（３２）が同署に出頭、身柄が確保された。

　同署の調べでは、最初の逮捕容疑は２０日午前３時ごろ、西宮市内のコインパーキングに駐車中の乗用車からキャリーバッグを盗んだ疑い。その後同日午後４時半ごろ、西宮署内の取調室で男性巡査（１９）が居眠りしていたすきに逃走した、としている。【中里顕】

Mainichi

April 21, 2009

National Police Agency looks to 'block' access to child pornography sites

The National Police Agency (NPA) will consider the introduction of new "blocking" measures against online child pornography, which will make certain Web sites inaccessible.

An NPA advisory council against online child pornography, led by Tokyo Metropolitan University Professor Masahide Maeda, has proposed to set up a group to monitor illegal and harmful Internet sites to prevent access.

The NPA will set up a committee consisting of providers and related government ministries and agencies as early as May to consider the introduction of the blocking measures.

In Japan, "filtering" measures are being implemented, such as those that let cell phone carriers shut down access to illegal and harmful sites. Requests to erase such entries have been made to site operators by the Internet Hotline Center, which consists of Internet providers. However, the council pointed out that the spread of online child pornography cannot be prevented only by current measures.

Mainichi

March 31, 2009

Police apologize over 'Taliban' comment to porphyria sufferer

YONAGO, Tottori -- A high school student who wears a veil due to a medical condition was stopped and verbally abused by a police officer, who asked him if he was a member of the Taliban, it's been learned.

Tottori police apologized for the officer's actions at the Tottori Prefectural Assembly on Friday, saying the officer acted and behaved inappropriately.

The 18-year-old student, who attends a high school in the Tottori Prefecture city of Sakaiminato, suffers from porphyria, a condition which causes pain when his skin is exposed to sunlight.

The officer from Yonago Police Station stopped the boy as he was riding double on a bicycle near JR Yonago Station on Oct. 28 last year, accusing him of being "strangely-dressed" and asking him, "Are you a Taliban member?"

The chief of the prefectural police headquarters later admitted that he was stopped because the veil looked suspicious, not because he was riding double.

The head of Yonago Police Station apologized to the student and his family, and the prefectural police headquarters reportedly sent a DVD explaining the condition to all police stations.

The student's 21-year-old brother also suffers from the condition, and met with Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai, seeking support in obtaining signatures to have the condition designated an intractable disease. The student's brother said the problem had been caused by a lack of understanding about the illness, adding that he wanted a lot of people to learn about it. The governor replied that he would make a request to the central government seeking official designation.

Mainichi

March 7, 2009

Filipino couple faces imminent deportation, separation from Japan-born daughter

WARABI, Saitama -- A Filipino man and his wife face imminent deportation from Japan, and the painful possibility of leaving their 13-year-old daughter behind.

Arlan Calderon, 36, an interior demolition worker living in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, arrived in Japan illegally in 1993, and has been ordered by the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau to turn himself in to authorities for deportation by Friday. In response, his coworkers have rallied around him and more than 19,000 signatures have been collected on a petition calling on the Ministry of Justice to give him special permission to stay in Japan.

What's more, Arlan's Japanese-born daughter Noriko, a junior high school first grader, must either go with her family, or remain in Japan without her parents.

"Japan is my beloved country. And I want to live together with my whole family," pleads Noriko.

Arlan's long illegal stay in Japan began with an altered passport. On the night before he was to leave for Japan, Arlan went to get his passport from the broker he had hired to secure his visa to the country. The passport he accepted had a different person's last name and a birth date one year too early. He took the passport despite the changes. "I had already paid, so I just got on the plane," Arlan says.

Once he arrived, Arlan learned Japanese in about a year. He did dirty and dangerous jobs, such as asbestos removal, and worked almost entirely at night. Despite such conditions, he strived to succeed, believing that "to achieve recognition in Japan, I had to put in five times the effort."

In one incident, Arlan even rescued the job site supervisor from under several heavy sheets of metal. "Without you here, this company would be in trouble," his firm's president once told him.

Arlan's wife Sarah Calderon, 38, whom he married in Japan, was arrested in July 2006 for staying in Japan illegally. While Sarah was in custody, Arlan knew that he couldn't leave the then 11-year-old Noriko alone at home during the night. So, for the some 10 months Sarah was gone, Arlan took his daughter to work with him, where she slept in the car.

The family was ordered to leave Japan by the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in November 2006, and Arlan's lawsuit to have the order cancelled was rejected. When Arlan visited the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau on Feb. 13, he was told that either his whole family had to go, or he could leave Noriko behind in Japan. The bureau also demanded that Arlan set a date for his departure. Unable to make such a choice, he will visit the immigration bureau once more on Friday.

What Arlan regrets most in all his trouble with the authorities is that events have led to his daughter suffering.

Hoping to encourage the Calderon family, five of Arlan's coworkers visited his home on Feb. 7.

"Arlan is the old hand at work. He takes good care of the rest of us, and he treats everyone equally. So we all think we should help him," says Koichiro Hosono, 29.

"Absolutely do not give up, because we're all with you," Arlan's workmates told him, trying to keep his spirits up.

According to the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, there were around 174,000 people staying in Japan illegally as of January 2008. In 2007, immigration authorities ordered the deportation of 45,502 illegal residents, though 7,388 received special permission to stay in Japan from the minister of justice. Of those special cases, 1,457 people had entered the country illegally.

Mainichi

February 26, 2009

Filipino couple faces imminent deportation, separation from Japan-born daughter

WARABI, Saitama -- A Filipino man and his wife face imminent deportation from Japan, and the painful possibility of leaving their 13-year-old daughter behind.

Arlan Calderon, 36, an interior demolition worker living in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, arrived in Japan illegally in 1993, and has been ordered by the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau to turn himself in to authorities for deportation by Friday. In response, his coworkers have rallied around him and more than 19,000 signatures have been collected on a petition calling on the Ministry of Justice to give him special permission to stay in Japan.

What's more, Arlan's Japanese-born daughter Noriko, a junior high school first grader, must either go with her family, or remain in Japan without her parents.

"Japan is my beloved country. And I want to live together with my whole family," pleads Noriko.

Arlan's long illegal stay in Japan began with an altered passport. On the night before he was to leave for Japan, Arlan went to get his passport from the broker he had hired to secure his visa to the country. The passport he accepted had a different person's last name and a birth date one year too early. He took the passport despite the changes. "I had already paid, so I just got on the plane," Arlan says.

Once he arrived, Arlan learned Japanese in about a year. He did dirty and dangerous jobs, such as asbestos removal, and worked almost entirely at night. Despite such conditions, he strived to succeed, believing that "to achieve recognition in Japan, I had to put in five times the effort."

In one incident, Arlan even rescued the job site supervisor from under several heavy sheets of metal. "Without you here, this company would be in trouble," his firm's president once told him.

Arlan's wife Sarah Calderon, 38, whom he married in Japan, was arrested in July 2006 for staying in Japan illegally. While Sarah was in custody, Arlan knew that he couldn't leave the then 11-year-old Noriko alone at home during the night. So, for the some 10 months Sarah was gone, Arlan took his daughter to work with him, where she slept in the car.

The family was ordered to leave Japan by the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in November 2006, and Arlan's lawsuit to have the order cancelled was rejected. When Arlan visited the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau on Feb. 13, he was told that either his whole family had to go, or he could leave Noriko behind in Japan. The bureau also demanded that Arlan set a date for his departure. Unable to make such a choice, he will visit the immigration bureau once more on Friday.

What Arlan regrets most in all his trouble with the authorities is that events have led to his daughter suffering.

Hoping to encourage the Calderon family, five of Arlan's coworkers visited his home on Feb. 7.

"Arlan is the old hand at work. He takes good care of the rest of us, and he treats everyone equally. So we all think we should help him," says Koichiro Hosono, 29.

"Absolutely do not give up, because we're all with you," Arlan's workmates told him, trying to keep his spirits up.

According to the Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, there were around 174,000 people staying in Japan illegally as of January 2008. In 2007, immigration authorities ordered the deportation of 45,502 illegal residents, though 7,388 received special permission to stay in Japan from the minister of justice. Of those special cases, 1,457 people had entered the country illegally.

Mainichi

February 26, 2009

Nara police investigate one of their own over suspected information leak in bribery case

NARA -- An assistant inspector with the Nara Prefectural Police is being questioned on suspicion of leaking information related to a bribery investigation, it has been learned.

The assistant inspector, 53, is being interviewed by his fellow police for allegedly leaking information about an investigation into Shigetaka Kurumatani, former mayor of Tenkawa, Nara Prefecture, who has been indicted on charges of taking bribes while serving as mayor. Such a leak would be a violation of the confidentiality provisions of the Local Public Service Law.

Kurumatani, 51, was arrested on Dec. 6 of last year on suspicion of taking more than 8 million yen in cash kickbacks in 2005 from a representative of a Tokyo construction firm, in exchange for pushing lucrative village water main construction work the firm's way, police said.

On Feb. 18, the former mayor was further indicted for taking a 2 million yen kickback from another construction firm in exchange for telling the company the lowest offer during the competitive bidding process for a water main improvement project. With that final indictment, the Nara District Public Prosecutors Office said that they had brought a string of investigations into Kurumatani to a close.

After Kurumatani's arrest, a Tenkawa village counselor was also apprehended for violating the confidential bidding process, and was summarily ordered to pay a 1 million yen fine.

Tenkawa held mayoral elections to replace Kurumatani on Sunday, which non-party newcomer Yasumaro Kakisaka, 64, won.

Mainichi
February 24, 2009

On-duty officer apparently shoots himself at Tokyo police station

Monday 22nd September, 03:29 PM JST

TOKYO —

A police officer apparently shot himself at a police station in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward while he was on duty early Monday morning, police said. At around 5:45 a.m. Monday, an officer at the Shimura police station heard the sound of a gunshot from a bathroom and found Daisuke Orihara, 26, collapsed and bleeding from the head inside one of the stalls. Orihara died later at a hospital.

Police said they are treating the case as suicide, although no suicide note has been found, and are investigating the background and cause of the incident. Orihara was on duty for 24 hours until 9 a.m. Monday and had been with his colleagues until shortly before he shot himself with his own gun, the police said. Orihara apparently lost several traffic violation tickets on Sunday and was looking for them, but they have not been found, police said.

Japan Today

Police order gang bosses not to reward yakuza hit men who attack rivals

Police have ordered 28 gang bosses across the country not to reward their members who have shot or attacked rival yakuza in gang wars, National Police Agency (NPA) officials said.

Fifteen police departments, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Osaka and Fukuoka prefectural police, issued the orders under the revised anti-gang law that took effect in August.

Crime syndicates often promote or give cash rewards to members when they are released from prison after serving time for attacking rival yakuza in gang wars, according to NPA officials.

The orders are aimed at banning such practices and helping prevent gang wars.

The orders issued this time were provisional ones. After questioning the gang bosses, the police departments will issue full-scale orders, the NPA officials said.

September 17, 2008

Mainichi

Niigata cop aided illegal worker

NIIGATA (Kyodo) A policeman tried to help a female Chinese student who was working illegally at an adult entertainment shop in the city of Niigata last year avoid a crackdown, Niigata Prefectural Police sources said Wednesday.

The officer, who is in his 30s, resigned voluntarily in March, even though an internal investigation concluded his actions did not violate any laws and he was only punished.

According to the sources, the student, who is in her 20s, was on a study visa and working without authorization in violation of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law.

The woman became aware last December that police were secretly investigating the shop and asked the officer, an acquaintance, to help her. In response, the officer advised her to get rid of the shop's list of employees, the sources said.

When police questioned the officer on a voluntary basis on suspicion of helping the woman violate immigration law, he confessed, saying he felt sympathy for her.

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008

Japan Times

Fukui cop held for allegedly harassing woman with e-mails

Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008

KANAZAWA, Ishikawa Pref. (Kyodo) A policeman who allegedly sent harassing e-mails to a woman who broke up with him was arrested Friday on suspicion of violating the antistalking law, police said.

Fukui Prefectural Police Sgt. Kazuyuki Yamashita, 31, a resident of the city of Fukui, has owned up to the harassment, police said.

An investigation determined that Yamashita sent 27 e-mails to the woman's mobile phone between July 23 and Aug. 17 asking her to talk to him.

Police said Yamashita became acquainted with the woman, a 25-year-old resident of Kanazawa, in 2005 but she dumped him in January. She contacted Ishikawa Prefectural Police on Monday.

The 2000 antistalking law sets penalties of imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of up to ¥500,000.

Japan Times

Cops punished for handing cigarettes, cell phone to detainee, violently treating youths

YOKOHAMA -- A police sergeant and three other officers who provided cigarettes and a cell phone to a detainee have been punished, while another officer accused of injuring a detained youth was reported to prosecutors, law enforcers said.

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police Inspection Office announced punishments, including at least one 10 percent pay cut for six months, for the four officers on Tuesday. Among the four were a 56-year-old officer from Kagacho Police Station, and a 47-year-old senior officer.

Investigators said that the four supplied snacks to a 43-year-old truck driver who was being held on suspicion of intimidation, after he made a row during a police night shift in January. Later the man made threats, saying, "I'll tell your bosses (that you've violated regulations). I'll go wild." In response, the officers handed him cigarettes and gave him access to a cell phone on about 90 occasions. Their actions were uncovered in March.

In addition, police announced that a 39-year-old officer accused of violently treating three youths who made a row at a facility for juveniles at Kawasaki Police Station had been reprimanded. He was reported to public prosecutors on suspicion of injuring one of the youths.

"We want to work to prevent recurrences of such incidents," an Inspection Office official said.

神奈川県警：留置中に携帯提供などで５人懲戒処分

　神奈川県警監察官室は２２日、恐喝容疑などで逮捕・拘置されたトラック運転手の男（４３）に、たばこや携帯電話などを渡したとして、加賀町署の男性巡査部長（５６）と男性巡査長（４７）ら４人を減給１０分の１（６カ月）などの懲戒処分にしたと発表した。

　調べでは、警務課管理係の４人は１月中旬、夜間当直中に男が留置場で騒いだため、菓子などを提供。その後、男から「上司に（規則違反を）言うよ。暴れちゃうよ」と脅され、計約９０回にわたってたばこやライター、はさみ、携帯電話などを渡した。３月中旬の異動を機に発覚した。

　また川崎署の留置施設少年室で、騒いだ少年３人に暴行したとして、同署管理係の男性巡査部長（３９）を戒告の懲戒処分にし、１人にけがをさせた特別公務員暴行陵虐致傷容疑で横浜地検に書類送検した。西村昇・県警監察官室長は「誠に遺憾であり、再発防止に努めたい」とコメントした。【鈴木一生】

Mainichi Newspaper

July 23rd, 2008

Police ID, uniform stolen from car of officer playing pachinko

NICHINAN, Miyazaki -- Two bags containing a police officer's identification and a uniform were stolen from his car while he was playing pachinko here, law enforcers said.

Fearing that the ID and other items could be used for criminal purposes, every officer at Nichinan Police Station was dispatched to look for the bags.

Investigators said the 30-year-old officer had been on night duty and finished his shift Sunday morning. Shortly after noon, he went to a pachinko parlor in Nichinan in his own car. When he returned to his car about four hours later, he found that the window on the passenger's side of the vehicle had been smashed, and two bags containing his identification, name cards and a uniform had been stolen from the vehicle.

"The officer lacked care in not carrying his police identification with him," a police station official said. "We will put every effort into the investigation, and will work to prevent such an incident in the future."

警察手帳：宮崎県警の巡査長、パチンコ中に車から盗まれる

　２０日午後４時すぎ、宮崎県警日南署交通課の巡査長（３０）から同署に「警察手帳などの入ったバッグを盗まれた」と連絡があった。同署は手帳などが悪用される恐れもあるため、全署員を出勤させバッグを探している。

　調べでは、巡査長はこの日宿直明けで午前中まで勤務。正午過ぎから自家用車で日南市平野のパチンコ店に行き、約４時間後に駐車場に止めていた車に戻ったところ、助手席の窓ガラスが割られて車内にあったバッグ２個が盗まれていた。バッグには手帳のほか、名刺や交通捜査用の制服などが入っていた。

　同署の吉田繁人副署長は「警察手帳を携行しなかったのは、注意不足だった。全力を挙げて捜査し、再発防止に努めたい」と話している。【塩満温】

Mainichi Newspaper

July 21st, 2008

Cop tried to cover up blunder over fuel-soaked man who ignited self during questioning

NAGOYA -- A police sergeant tried to cover up an investigation blunder after he and his colleagues gave a kerosene-soaked man a lighter for a cigarette during questioning, and the man fatally set himself alight, investigators said.

A 54-year-old sergeant at Atsuta Police Station in Aichi Prefecture has admitted to having taken away the lighter and an ashtray from the interrogation room and hiding them right after the fatal fire.

Aichi Prefectural Police sent papers accusing the sergeant, as well as two senior officers aged 28 and 25 and a 24-year-old officer who brought the lighter into the interrogation room, of professional negligence resulting in death.

"I thought it would not look good if it turned out that we let the man smoke inside the interrogation room, as smoking is prohibited," the sergeant told investigators in admitting to the allegations.

The four officers took custody of Hifumi Kubota, 45, an unemployed man from Nagoya, late at night on May 10 after he was found drunk and had soaked himself in kerosene, according to local police.

The officers questioned Kubota at their police station from around 11:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. the following day.

When the officers tried to have Kubota undergo a sobriety test, he demanded that he be allowed to smoke a cigarette. "I'll agree if you let me smoke," he was quoted as telling the officers.

The policemen then brought in a cigarette, a lighter and an ashtray while neglecting to watch over Kubota, investigators said. Kubota lit the lighter and subsequently caught fire.

After the incident, it emerged that the lighter and the ashtray had disappeared from the interrogation room.

One of the three policemen, who were inside the interrogation room, initially told police, "We don't know what happened to them (the lighter and the ashtray)." However, it turned out later that the 54-year-old sergeant had taken away the objects from the room after the incident and hid them in the kitchen at the police station.

The ashtray was later discovered, but the lighter has reportedly not turned up yet, according to police. Investigators suspect that a third person unaware of the circumstances may have taken the lighter.

The three policemen told investigators that they didn't see how the fire started, but a police experiment proved that clothes would not catch fire from a cigarette flame alone. Aichi Prefectural Police have determined that Kubota's clothes caught fire directly from the lighter.

熱田署取調室焼死：巡査部長「ライター隠した」　発覚恐れ

　愛知県警熱田署で５月、酔って保護された名古屋市熱田区の無職、久保田一二三（ひふみ）さん（当時４５歳）が取調室で焼死した事件で、同署地域課の巡査部長（５４）が県警の調べに対し、出火直後に取調室からライターと灰皿を持ち出して隠したことを認めていることが３日、分かった。巡査部長は「禁煙の取調室でたばこを吸わせたことが発覚するとまずいと思った」などと話しているという。県警は４日にもこの巡査部長ら署員４人を業務上過失致死容疑で書類送検する。

　ほかに書類送検されるのは、取調室にいた２８歳と２５歳の巡査長と、室内にライターを持ち込んだ巡査（２４）の３人。

　県警刑事総務課などの調べでは、４人は５月１０日午後１１時１５分から１１日午前０時１５分ごろにかけて、酔って自ら灯油を浴びた久保田さんを保護して同署取調室で聴取。飲酒検知をしようとしたところ「たばこを吸わせてくれれば応じる」と要求されたため、たばこ、ライター、灰皿を用意したうえ監視を怠り、久保田さんにライターを使わせ焼死させた疑い。

　事件後、取調室からライターと灰皿がなくなっていることが判明。取調室にいた３人は当初、県警の調べに「どうなったか分からない」と話していたが、その後、巡査部長が自分で持ち出し、署の炊事場に隠したことを認めたという。灰皿は見つかったが、ライターはいまだに見つかっていないといい、事情を知らない第三者がさらに別の場所に持ち去った可能性もある。

　一方、３人は「どのように出火したか見ていない」と話しているが、再現実験でたばこの火では衣類に引火しないことが判明。県警はライターの火が直接衣類に引火したと断定した。【飯田和樹、福島祥】

July 4th, 2008

Mainichi Newspaper

Senior policeman reprimanded for losing handbook ID

YAMAGUCHI -- A senior policeman has been reprimanded for losing his police handbook, which serves as his identification, at the end of last year, police said.

The announcement came on Monday after news organizations pointed out that Yamaguchi Prefectural Police had not disclosed that the policeman was reprimanded in May.

According to police, a senior policeman in his 30s at the Yamaguchi Prefectural Police's Chofu Police Station realized that he had lost his police handbook and reported it to his superior on Dec. 18 last year.

The senior policeman was quoted as telling police that he remembers having had the handbook in a pocket of his jacket until early December, but he doesn't remember when and where he lost the item because he failed to check on his belongings every day as all policemen are required to do.

"I thought my police handbook was inside my office desk, but it wasn't. I don't recall what happened (when I lost the handbook) and have no idea about the details."

Prefectural police issued an order to police forces across the nation on Dec. 21 to search for the handbook, but it has not been found yet.

A prefectural police representative said in a statement, "We will once again instruct all employees on the management of their police handbooks in order to prevent a recurrence."

警察手帳：山口県警長府署の巡査長が昨年１２月に紛失

　山口県警長府署地域課の３０代の男性巡査長が昨年１２月、警察手帳を紛失していたことが分かった。巡査長は今年５月、本部長訓戒処分を受けたが、県警は公表していなかった。報道機関の指摘を受け３０日発表した。

　県警監察官室によると、巡査長は昨年１２月１８日、紛失に気付き上司に報告した。同月上旬には上着のポケットに入れていたが、毎日行うべき携帯品のチェックを怠っており、紛失時の状況について記憶がないという。県警は同月２１日、全国に手配したが、現在も見つかっていない。

　巡査長は「職場の机の中にあると思ったがなかった。当時の記憶はなく詳細は分からない」と話しているという。

　藤井文雄・監察官室長は「全職員に改めて警察手帳の保管・管理について指導し、再発防止の徹底を図る」とのコメントを発表した。【藤沢美由紀】

Mainichi Newspaper

July 1, 2008

Cop arrested for molesting woman he called out to interrogate

TOCHIGI, Tochigi -- A police assistant inspector who molested a woman he asked to come in for questioning has been arrested, police said.

Tomohiro Kamioka, 51, the assistant inspector from the Tochigi Police Station, was arrested for abuse by a special public officer.

Kamioka admits to meeting alone with the woman who accuses him of indecently assaulting her, but denies the allegations against him.

Yasuo Yamate, a spokesman for the Tochigi Prefectural Police, expressed regret.

"It's a shame a police officer supposed to be protecting everyone's safety has caused an incident like this. We offer a heartfelt apology to the woman, her associates and the people of the prefecture," he said.

Police said that during the middle of March Kamioka twice called out for questioning the woman in her 30s from Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, and performed sex acts on her while parked in her car in the parking lot of an Ashikaga supermarket.

The alleged victim filed a criminal complaint with the police on March 26.

Kamioka was off duty on both occasions he met the woman.

任意で事情聴取した女性を深夜に呼び出し、みだらな行為をしたとして、栃木県警監察課は１７日、栃木署刑事１課の警部補、上岡友洋容疑者（５１）＝下野市緑５＝を特別公務員暴行陵虐容疑で逮捕した。上岡容疑者は女性と２人で会ったことは認めているが、行為は否認しているという。

　調べでは、上岡容疑者は足利署刑事１課に所属していた３月中旬、捜査で事情聴取した足利市内に住む３０代の女性を２度にわたり同市内のスーパー駐車場に呼び出し、女性の軽乗用車内でみだらな行為をした疑い。女性が同２６日に同署へ届け出た。上岡容疑者が女性と会ったのは２回とも勤務時間外だった。

　山手康男・警務部長は「皆様の安全を守る立場の警察官がこのような事件を引き起こし誠に遺憾。女性とその関係者、県民の皆様に心からおわび申し上げます」と話した。【山下俊輔】

Mainichi Newspaper

June 18th, 2008

Tokyo cop collared for sneaking into women's restroom at park

Tokyo cop collared for sneaking into women's restroom at park

ICHIHARA, Chiba -- A Tokyo police officer faces charges for sneaking into a women's restroom at a park here, police said.

Chiba Prefectural Police reported the 45-year-old sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department to prosecutors, accusing him of trespassing. He admitted to the allegations during questioning.

The sergeant followed two junior high school girls into a women's room at Ichihara Ryokuchi Sports Park in Ichihara at around 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 23, according to investigators. When the girls noticed him, he showed his police ID and identified himself before leaving the scene.

Police believe the officer was trying to pass himself off as on official duties. The incident came to light after the junior high school girls reported him to a local police station.

建造物侵入：公園の女子トイレに忍び込む　警官を書類送検

　のぞき目的で公園の公衆トイレに忍び込んだとして、千葉県警市原署は６日、警視庁上野署警務課の男性巡査部長（４５）を建造物侵入容疑で千葉地検に書類送致した。容疑を認めている。

　調べでは、巡査部長は２月２３日午後１時半ごろ、市原市岩崎の市原緑地運動公園の女子トイレに、女子中学生２人の後を追って侵入した疑い。

　直後に中学生に見つかったため、警察手帳を示したうえで名前や所属を言って立ち去ったが、不審に思った中学生が市原署に通報した。警察手帳を示すことで、捜査を装ったとみられる。【寺田剛】

Mainichi Newspaper

June 7th, 2008

Police officer faces charges over train groping incident

YOKOHAMA -- A police officer who molested a woman on a train and then ran away down the tracks back in April is now facing charges.

Kanagawa Prefectural Police reported the 27-year-old sergeant to prosecutors, accusing him of violating a prefectural public nuisance ordinance. He has admitted to the allegations.

The officer, whose name was not immediately disclosed, resigned after he was slapped with a one-month suspension from duty.

The sergeant fondled the buttocks of a 31-year-old woman from Yokohama on a JR Yokohama Line train at around 7 p.m. on April 15, prefectural police said.

The woman grabbed his arm and forced off the train at Tokaichiba Station. However, the officer jumped onto the tracks and ran about 200 meters before getting back onto the road and hailing a taxi, according to investigators.

He later told his superior that he had been mistaken for a groper, but later admitted to being the culprit.
痴漢：警官が電車内で　線路上を逃走し送検・処分　神奈川

　神奈川県警監察官室は６日、電車内で痴漢をした後、線路上を走って逃げたとして、県警組織犯罪分析課の男性巡査部長（２７）を県迷惑防止条例違反容疑などで横浜地検へ書類送検し、停職１カ月の懲戒処分とした。巡査部長は同日付で依願退職した。

　調べでは、巡査部長は４月１５日午後７時ごろ、ＪＲ横浜線鴨居－十日市場間を走行中の普通電車内で、横浜市のアルバイト女性（３１）の尻を触った疑い。女性に手をつかまれ十日市場駅で降ろされたが、巡査部長は手を振りほどき線路に降りて約２００メートル逃走。フェンスを乗り越えタクシーで帰宅したという。その後、上司に「痴漢に間違われた」と虚偽の相談をしていた。

　女性が駅員を通じて県警に通報していたため発覚。巡査部長は「女性の尻に手の甲が当たり触りたいと思ってしまった」と容疑を認めているという。【鈴木一生】

Mainichi Newspaper

June 7th, 2008