Fabrication of Police Reports Revealed in Japan

Two (!) police scandals were revealed in Japan this week.

One was fabrication of reports and perjury during trial by police officers from the Osaka Prefectural Police, and the other was falsification and concealment of reports by the Kagoshima Prefectural Police.

In the Osaka case, the officers falsified reports and perjured during trial in a  drug case.  The defendant was arrested for obstructing the police officer at a police station. The falsification and perjury involved detention of the defendant in a protection room by a senior officer who did not have the authority to do so. A different officer filed a report saying that the senior officer ordered the confinement, but his superior told to file a false report saying that there was approval by a higher ranking officer. Two reports were then filed. Later at trial, the officers testified that the chain of command was kept. Read about the case here (The Japan Times).

The Kagoshima case involved a suspect who is a gang member.  The victim of the incident told the police officers that he did not know the suspect. A report was filed. Later, the victim changed his statement and told the officers that he knew the suspect. However, the officers fabricated the first report and wrote that the victim knew the suspect, so that the State’s case would not be damaged by inconsistent statements. The charges against the suspect were later dropped. Read about the case here ( in Japanese).

Fabrication of police reports was also revealed recently in Tokyo and Hyogo Prefectures. Both cases were sent to the prosecutor’s office/ indicted.