Security Police (Japan)

Last updated
VIP Protection Division [1]
Asahikage.svg
Active13 September 1975 - present [2]
Country Japan
Agency Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Type Close protection
Part ofSecurity Bureau [3]
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Common nameSecurity Police [1]
AbbreviationSP

The Security Police is the close protection division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. [1] Under the Security Bureau of the TMPD, the division is responsible for protecting domestic and foreign dignitaries on Japanese soil and abroad. [1] [4]

Contents

The division's agents are commonly known as Security Police (SP) (セキュリティポリス, Sekyuritī Porisu). [1] [5] The word "SP" is a loanword used in the Japanese law enforcement system, based on the badge worn by the agents. [3]

The SP insignia on a SP officer's business suit Jing Shi Ting Jing Hu Yuan Ji Zhang .jpg
The SP insignia on a SP officer's business suit

The division does not protect the Imperial Family as they have their own dedicated division, the Imperial Protection Division. [1]

History

After an assassination attempt against then–US Ambassador to Japan Edwin O. Reischauer in 1964, the chairman of the National Public Safety Commission was pressured to resign. [3]

It was not until June 18, 1975, when then–Prime Minister Takeo Miki was attacked publicly by the Greater Japan Patriotic Party Secretary General Hiroyoshi Fudeyasu, [6] that the National Police Agency ordered the formation of the division. [6] [2] The new unit was based on the US Secret Service. [7]

The unit celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015. [8]

After the assassination of Shinzo Abe, SP officers were deployed to protect Akie Abe after she arrived in Kyoto as a precautionary measure. [9]

On April 15, 2023, SP officers in the Saikazaki bombing incident were able to quickly move Fumio Kishida after a pipebomb was thrown near him. [10]

Scandals

On November 11, 2021, an SP officer was arrested for allegedly breaking into a women's-only condominium building. [11]

Duties

The division provides close protection duties for the following people: [3] [12] [13]

  1. Prime Minister of Japan
  2. Ministers of State
  3. Chief Justice of Japan
  4. President of the House of Councillors
  5. Speaker of the House of Representatives
  6. Governor of Tokyo
  7. Foreign VIPs such as heads of state, ambassadors, etc.
  8. Major political party leaders
  9. Other VIPs designated by the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency

Although it is not mandated, the division also protects the Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Vice President of the House of Councillors.[ citation needed ]

Former prime ministers also receive SP protection. [14] This is provided at the discretion of the National Police Agency. [15]

Organization

The division is structured in the following way:

Section 1 is mandated to protect the Prime Minister of Japan. Section 2 protects Ministers of States, the President of the House of Councillors, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Section 3 is known to conduct duties on guarding foreign VIPs such as ambassadors and heads of state while Section 4 are to protect the Chief Justice of Japan, the Governor of Tokyo, and others qualified for protection such as the Vice President of the House of Councillors, the Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives, and party leaders.

In operations where SPs are deployed to other cities/towns in Japan and overseas, SP officers usually liaise with the local police in order to set up security for an incoming VIP or to scout potential locations where the VIP may visit. [15]

Requirements

Security Police officer in a Mercedes-Benz S600 during escort duty at the 34th G8 summit in Toyako, Hokkaido Mercedes-Benz W221 S600 long security police.JPG
Security Police officer in a Mercedes-Benz S600 during escort duty at the 34th G8 summit in Tōyako, Hokkaidō

SP officers start out as ordinary police officers, and must serve in the police for five years and have the rank of Sergeant in order to be a candidate. [3] Moreover, candidates are required to be more than 5 feet 8 inches tall (173 cm) (for male candidates), [16] achieve at least a third dan in at least one martial art, and have a high level of marksmanship. [3] SP candidates also need to speak English. [16]

Both male and female police officers can qualify to join the division. [4]

Equipment

Officers are mostly armed with handguns and expandable batons during their duties. A mini flashlight and a transceiver is also in their list of equipment. Sometimes they used unmarked cars for transport and escort. They have used Mercedes-Benz S600, Toyota Crown, Nissan Teana, Nissan Elgrand, and Toyota HiAce.

The officers carry mostly the NPA-issued Smith & Wesson Model 37 revolver, or the SIG P230 semi-automatic pistol. Officers can also be seen armed with pistols such as the Beretta 92, [17] Glock 17 or Heckler & Koch P2000. [18]

Notes

  1. ^ Each of these sections are led by a Section Chief.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Police Agency (Japan)</span> Japanese central coordination law enforcement agency

The National Police Agency is the central coordinating law enforcement agency of the Japanese police system. Unlike national police in other countries, the NPA does not have any operational units of its own aside from the Imperial Guard; rather, it is responsible for supervising Japan's 47 prefectural police departments and determining their general standards and policies, though it can command police agencies under it in national emergencies or large-scale disasters. It is under the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law enforcement in Japan</span>

Law enforcement in Japan is provided mainly by prefectural police under the oversight of the National Police Agency. The National Police Agency is administered by the National Public Safety Commission, ensuring that Japan's police are an apolitical body and free of direct central government executive control. They are checked by an independent judiciary and monitored by a free and active press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Assault Team</span> Japanese police tactical units

The Special Assault Team is a police tactical unit maintained by individual Japanese prefectural police forces and supervised by the National Police Agency. It is a national-level counterterrorism unit that cooperates with territorial-level Anti-Firearms Squads and Counter-NBC Terrorism Squads. Most information on the unit has been confidential, its existence officially revealed only in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miyuki Ishikawa</span> Japanese infanticide serial killer (1897–1987)

Miyuki Ishikawa was a Japanese midwife, real estate agent and serial killer. During the US occupation of Japan, she and several accomplices are believed to have murdered dozens of infants, a crime spree known as the Kotobuki San'in incident.

<i>SP</i> (TV series) 2007 Japanese TV series or program

SP, also known as Security Police, is a Japanese television drama based on the real life security police unit of Japan which is responsible for domestic and foreign abuse. The series script was written by famed GO author Kazuki Kaneshiro and marks his first time writing for a television drama. The drama centers on a newly recruited SP officer named Kaoru Inoue, who is the only SP officer known in the force to have sharp senses that enables him to conduct his duties by using this ESP sense to take down the threat before it appears to threaten the VIP and the civilians who are caught in the middle.

The Public Security Bureau is a bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) in charge of public security with jurisdiction over the Tokyo metropolis. It has a force of more than 2,000 officers. The bureau reports to the Deputy Superintendent General.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department</span> Prefectural police department in Japan

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD), known locally as simply the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), is the prefectural police of 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 40,000 police officers and over 2,800 civilian personnel.

<i>Dog×Police</i> 2011 Japanese film

Dog×Police is a 2011 Japanese film directed by Go Shichitaka, about a special division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department which uses trained dogs in cases of terrorism, violent crime, and rescue missions. The film is based on the novel by Yoichi Komori.

<i>The Next Generation: Patlabor</i> Japanese television series

The Next Generation: Patlabor is a Japanese science fiction live action series and part of the Patlabor franchise. It was produced by Tohokushinsha and distributed by Shochiku. It consists of a drama series and movie.

The National Police Agency Security Bureau is a bureau of the National Police Agency in charge of national-level internal security affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riot Police Unit</span> Rapid reaction forces of Japanese police

Riot Police Unit are the rapid reaction forces of Japanese prefectural police. These units are not only riot police, but a type of emergency service unit to maintain public order against large civil disorder, disaster response, or other emergency situations as the key units of Japanese law enforcement for crisis management. They are operated by prefectural police headquarters (PPH) under the supervision of the Security Bureau of the National Police Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Investigation Team</span> Tactical detective units of Japanese prefectural police

Special Investigation Teams (SIT) are tactical detective units of Japanese prefectural police forces. Special Investigation Teams are maintained by prefectural police headquarters (PPH) and are trained to handle critical incidents including criminal investigation and tactical operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prefectural police</span> Regional law enforcement agencies in Japan

In the law enforcement system in Japan, prefectural police are prefecture-level law enforcement agencies responsible for policing, law enforcement, and public security within their respective prefectures of Japan. Although prefectural police are, in principle, regarded as municipal police, they are mostly under the central oversight and control of the National Police Agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 AKB48 handsaw assault</span> Assault on Japanese idols

On May 25, 2014, members of the Japanese girl idol group AKB48 were attacked with a handsaw during a fan handshake event at the Iwate Industry Culture and Convention Center in Takizawa, Iwate Prefecture. Two members of AKB48 — 18-year-old Anna Iriyama and 19-year-old Rina Kawaei — and a staff member who tried to stop the attacker were seriously injured and taken to hospital. The assailant was arrested, tried and sentenced to six years in jail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Kantō earthquakes</span> General term used in describing earthquake in the Kantō region

South Kantō earthquakes or Greater Tokyo Area earthquakes are general terms for major earthquakes that occurs repeatedly historically in the southern part of Kanto region in Japan. It has been announced that there is a 70% chance that earthquakes of about M7 will occur in the southern part of the Kanto region within the next 30 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Shinzo Abe</span> 2022 murder in Nara, Japan

On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan and serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. Abe was delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate when he was fatally shot by 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami with an improvised firearm. Abe was transported via medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, where he was pronounced dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attempted assassination of Fumio Kishida</span> 2023 attack on the Japanese Prime Minister

On 15 April 2023, a pipe bomb exploded near Fumio Kishida, the 101st Prime Minister of Japan, who came to the fishing port of Saikazaki, Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, in the Kansai region to give a campaign stump speech for the 2023 Wakayama 1st district by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwao Uruma</span> Japanese official

Iwao Uruma is a Japanese police officer who served as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2008 to 2009. He previously served as Commissioner General of the National Police Agency from 2004 to 2007.

Tsubasa Party is a political party in Japan founded in 2019. The party garnered nationwide controversy during the 2024 by-elections in the Tokyo 15th district for alleged election interference and sabotage, which led to the arrests of party leaders Kurokawa and Nemoto on suspicions of violating Japanese election laws.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Securing Tokyo and its citizens" (PDF). Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. 2016. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 "警視庁がSP隊設立【1975（昭和50）年9月13日】" [Metropolitan Police Department establishes SP]. Toushiru (in Japanese). Rakuten Securities. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "What is the Security Police?". Japan Security Management Academy (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2010-01-17.
  4. 1 2 各国の要人を護れ 警視庁警護課ＳＰの仕事 (in Japanese). Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Archived from the original on 2014-03-04.
  5. ↑ "都民と首都の安全を守る万全な警備" 警備. Tokyo Metropolitan Police (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2012-02-03.
  6. 1 2 "Attack on Miki, security lapse shock citizens".
  7. ↑ "Abe's killing haunts Japan with questions on handmade guns". Mainichi Daily News. 10 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Ｓｐ鉄の掟は強面に「ポマード」？ Ｓｐ発足４０年「命かけて守る精鋭」 サミット控え訓練公開（1/4ページ）". 21 November 2015.
  9. ↑ "【速報】昭恵夫人は京都から奈良へ移動｜テレ朝news-テレビ朝日のニュースサイト". Archived from the original on 2022-07-09.
  10. ↑ "Kishida incident shows protecting VIPs from lone wolves remains a tall order". 16 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "警視庁Sp、女性用マンションに侵入容疑「部屋のぞくため」供述：朝日新聞デジタル". 21 November 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-01-30.
  12. ↑ 第6章 公安の維持と災害対策 (in Japanese). Japanese National Police Agency . Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  13. ↑ "Various Activities, Dignitary Protection" (PDF). Japanese National Police Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-06. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  14. ↑ "演説現場でも警視庁Spらが警護 逮捕の元海上自衛隊員の男 "特別な思想的背景"把握せず 安倍元総理銃撃 | TBS News Dig (1ページ)". 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-07-08.
  15. 1 2 "要人警護担う「Ｓｐ」 首相経験者には１～２人程度". 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-07-15.
  16. 1 2 "Ｓｐ鉄の掟は強面に「ポマード」？ Ｓｐ発足４０年「命かけて守る精鋭」 サミット控え訓練公開（3/4ページ）". 21 November 2015.
  17. ↑ 警視庁、米大統領来日前に大規模な訓練 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2020-04-26. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
  18. ↑ 陸上自衛隊唯一の特殊部隊 特殊作戦群の解説 (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2012-11-28.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.