Japan Police Academy Rules to Become Easier

Tokyo, April 20 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s National Police Agency has come up with a package of emergency plans to cope with the ongoing recruitment crisis, including relaxing stringent rules for students at police academies across the country. The NPA is now asking all prefectural police departments to swiftly review restrictions on, among others, academy students’ smartphone use, hairstyles, outings and overnight stays to attract more applicants in line with the plans, which are set to be made more specific later this year. The departments are also pressed to promote joint classes to teach how to respond to crimes beyond prefectural boundaries, such as telephone scams and cyberattacks, improve living conditions for students through school facility consolidation and renovation, and consider cutting the period from academy entrance to graduation. Seeing residency requirements and related matters heavily weighing on officers, the NPA will redefine the scope and number of necessary personnel for emergency responses, improve official housing available for them, and compensate for their relocation costs. As measures to reform police exams, the agency plans to introduce aptitude tests and other methods that have already been adopted by private companies. It looks as well to hold exams earlier and more frequently than now and hire mid-career personnel for positions superior to rank-and-file officers depending on their experiences and track records. Furthermore, the NPA expressed intention to boost public relations efforts through opening an official Instagram account and tying up with popular anime, manga and drama series. According to an NPA survey, the number of police examination takers and competition ratio stood at some 43,000 and 3.5, respectively, in fiscal 2024, both nearly halving from fiscal 2015. “Exam takers have decreased far faster than the population of 15- to 34-year-olds,” the agency points out, calling the situation a “crisis.” A separate survey of police academy students, young officers and hiring staff members showed that roughly 40 pct of pre-police exam worries were academy-related ones, such as strict rules. Concerns directly associated with the exams accounted for some 25 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]