The Police In Occupation Japan: Control, Corruption and Resistance to Reform

325 Pages·1997·2.11 MB·English

by  Christopher Aldous

The Police in Occupation Japan

Many Western commentators have expressed their admiration for the
Japanese police system, tracing its origins to the American
Occupation of Japan (1945–52).
This study challenges the assumptions that underlie these accounts,
focusing on the problems that attended the reform of the Japanese
police during the Occupation. Drawing on a wide range of primary
sources, Christopher Aldous explores the extent to which America
failed in its goal of ‘democratizing’ the Japanese police force, arguing
that deeply-rooted tradition, the pivotal importance of the black
market, and the US’s decision to opt for an indirect Occupation
produced resistance to reform. His study concludes with a
consideration of the postwar legacy of the Occupation’s police
reform, and touches on a number of recent controversies, most
notably the case of Aum Shinrikyô.
The Police in Occupation Japan is an original study which addresses
questions fundamental to any assessment of the Occupation’s
programme of ‘democratization’ and by extension to any appraisal of
postwar democracy.
Christopher Aldous is Lecturer in Japanese History, King Alfred’s
College of Higher Education, Winchester.
Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia

The Police in Occupation Japan
Control, corruption and resistance to reform
Christopher Aldous
The Police in Occupation
Japan

Control, corruption and resistance to
reform

Christopher Aldous

London and New York
First published 1997
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1997 Christopher Aldous
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book has been requested

ISBN 0-203-44014-5 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-74838-7 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-14526-0 (Print Edition)
For Yôko
Contents
List of figures and tables viii
Acknowledgements ix
Conventions xi
List of abbreviations xii
1 Introduction 1
Studies of the police in Japan and elsewhere 3
The Japanese police and the American Occupation 4
The Occupation structure 6
Police and society 12
Methodology and sources 15
2 Foundations 19
A national police organization 22
Wide-ranging police powers 24
The police ethos 28
Police methods 31
Thought control 33
Wartime and the neighbourhood associations 36
The Kenpei 40
3 The Consequences of defeat 43
United States policies 44
The health of the police institution 50
Economic conditions 64
4 Guardians of the people 67
Economic regulation 69
The treatment of detainees 82
Neighbourhood surveillance 85
Strikes and demonstrations 88
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Contents vii
5 Serving the old guard 94
The disappearance of surplus military supplies 95
The oyabun-kobun system 106
‘Voluntary’ contributions 119
The tale of Suzuki Eiji 127
6 Allies of military government 131
The structure of military government 132
The process of military government 136
Mutual dependence 140
A weakness for entertainment 144
7 ‘Immediate and final decentralization’ 148
Preliminaries 149
The PSD/Yoshida government plan 153
A clash of principles 162
Advising the Katayama government 167
Reconciliation 175
8 Towards recentralization 180
Organization and facilities 181
Shouldering the financial burden 188
Vulnerability to lawless elements 198
Trusting in the national rural police 203
9 Conclusion 208
A two-faced Occupation 209
A durable social system 212
Resisting reform 214
Epilogue 217
The implications of recentralization 218
Resurgent police powers 223
Police practices 227
The police ethos 230
Notes 234
Bibliography 286
Index 302
Figures and tables
Figure 1 Structure of General Headquarters, SCAP, 1946 7
Figure 2 Command channels for military government teams 11
Figure 3 Police manpower losses by reason, 1945 54
Figure 4 Police manpower losses by reason, 1946 55
Figure 5 Violations of price and rationing regulations, 1947 74
Figure 6 Violations of price and rationing regulations,
breakdown for January–June 1946 75
Figure 7 Violations of price and rationing regulations,
breakdown for January–June 1947 75
Figure 8 Illegally transported staple foods, confiscated
at railway freight stations or railway/highway
checkpoints, January 1947–June 1948 100
Figure 9 Hoarded oil-related products recovered,
September 1946–June 1947 103
Figure 10 Police contributions, breakdown
for January–December 1946 125
Table 1 Miscellaneous goods recovered,
February–June 1946 102

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Acknowledgements
This book grew out of an extended period of Ph.D. research, during
which time I was assisted and encouraged by archivists, academics
and friends in Japan, the USA and the UK. With regard to the first
category, I am particularly grateful to those in the constitutional
government materials room (kensei shiryôshitsu) in the National Diet
Library, Tokyo—for the efficiency and good humour with which they
supplied me with numerous microfiche and enabled me to make the
most of my eight-month stay in Japan. Although I spent much less
time in Washington DC, the archivists of the National Records Centre
in Suitland, Maryland, made every effort to answer my queries and
provide me with the documents I required. The same can be said of
the library staff at LSE, SO AS and Sheffield University. My research
was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which
provided a generous supplement for my stay in Japan.
A number of friends, fellow Ph.D. students and colleagues at King
Alfred’s College deserve mention for the way in which they have
encouraged me in my research—Lars, Jerry and Jim for concealing
their boredom during my lengthy progress reports; Martin, Neil,
Caroline and Stella for their frequent reassurances; Roger, Michael
and Colin for constantly enquiring after my progress; and Nick for his
amusing quips. In addition, Jim and Geoff deserve thanks for assisting
me with some tricky diagrams at short notice.
I have benefited from the advice of a number of academics,
especially Janet Hunter, who supervised my Ph.D. research for more
years than we would both care to remember. Enthusiastic, supportive
and conscientious to the end, she has proved to be a model supervisor,
to whom I owe a special debt. I would also like to express my gratitude
to Richard Sims and Gordon Daniels, who examined the thesis and
highlighted deficiencies, and to Stephen Large and Frank Leishman,
who provided invaluable comment in the latter stages of my research.
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