155 Police Members Disciplined in Japan in 1st Half

Tokyo, July 23 (Jiji Press)–A total of 155 police officers and other personnel were disciplined in Japan in the first half of 2026, up by one from a year earlier, the National Police Agency said Thursday. At this rate, the number of disciplined police members for the full year would exceed last year’s 337, which was the highest annual figure in the past decade. The agency said it will continue efforts to enforce strict discipline. Of the January-June total, 22 were dismissed, 43 were suspended, 72 received pay cuts, and 18 were reprimanded. The most common reason for discipline was acts related to relationships with the opposite sex, with 43 people. This was followed by traffic accidents and violations and by theft, fraud and embezzlement. The number of police members arrested fell by four to 23, while the number of people receiving disciplinary action for on-duty acts rose by 18 to 57. The Osaka prefectural police in western Japan had the largest number of members slapped with disciplinary action, at 27. This included 12 who were punished over the assault of individuals under investigation. The Kanagawa prefectural police, hit by a traffic ticket falsifying scandal, had 12 members disciplined. The number stood at nine each at Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department and Aichi prefectural police. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]