Tokyo, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police officers are stationed at Haneda Airport, Japan’s busiest airport located near the heart of the capital, to remain on the lookout day and night for criminals trying to flee the country. Their importance is growing in terms of Japan’s border control amid a rise in “tokuryu” anonymous and loosely organized criminal groups, which have, in many cases, bases overseas. The Haneda international investigation center was established under the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s International Crime Division in December 2015 amid an increase in visitors to Japan. Its main job is to prevent suspects from fleeing overseas and to provide support in escorting suspects to Japan from other countries. Such tasks had previously been undertaken by police officers stationed at nearby areas. Once a suspect is identified following an incident, the center’s investigators check to see whether the suspect is trying to leave the country, based on information such as name, date of birth, height and clothes. They search areas within the airport where the suspect may be, such as at airline counters. In a murder that occurred in September last year in Tokyo, the investigation center helped find a South Korean suspect just before he went through departure procedures at the airport, resulting in the arrest of the man just three hours after the incident occurred. The man had booked a flight shortly after the incident, in an attempt to flee the country. In May this year, investigators at the center helped arrest a suspect who was allegedly one of the masterminds behind a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Working together with the Tochigi police, the investigators apprehended the suspect, who had already completed an immigration check at the airport, three days after the incident. Fulfilling duties in cooperation with police departments outside Tokyo is “extremely rewarding,” said Inspector Akemi Shimizuguchi, who has spent eight years working at the investigation center. “We try to remain focused at the forefront of border control, because being inexperienced isn’t acceptable in our line of duty.” For operations involving escorting suspects into Japan, officers at the Haneda investigation center provide assistance to ensure smooth arrival procedures and customs check. In some cases, the center spends a month developing a plan to ensure that other passengers are safe. Asked about past cases that stood out, Shimizuguchi mentioned being involved in 70 police officers escorting 12 special fraud-linked suspects in 2019. The Tokyo metropolitan police are also engaging in similar border control duties at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal and docks used by cargo vessels. Assistant Commissioner Toshiki Takahashi, who headed the International Crime Division until August this year, said, “We’ve built up experience, including that on cooperating with related bodies,” since the Haneda investigation center was established. “As we expect to see more cases in which suspects will try to flee overseas, including those related to tokuryu, the role is significant,” Takahashi said of the center. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
