Photo/Illutration Kagoshima prefectural police chief Akiteru Nogawa testifies before a prefectural assembly committee on June 11. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Motoo Watanabe, who was Kanagawa prefectural police chief for two years until 1997, said at his inaugural news conference, “My goal is to make the Kanagawa prefectural police an organization that works for, and is trusted by, the people of this prefecture.”

At his farewell news conference, Watanabe heaped praise on himself for solving major crimes and reducing traffic accident fatalities on his watch.

“I believe I can give myself a perfect 100 percent mark,” he said.

But contrary to his self-evaluation, a scandal caught up with him after his departure from the post.

It came to light that Kanagawa police had been systemically involved in covering up the illegal use of stimulant drugs by one of its own.

During a court hearing, Watanabe admitted to his own complicity.

“Because of my misguided love of my place of work, I got into the habit of putting a lid on anything that smelled bad, so to speak,” he confessed.

The judge who gave him a suspended sentence declared, “(The defendant) deserves to die thousands of times for this crime that imperils the very foundations of this law-abiding nation.”

I was reminded of this old case by another unusual one that is currently unfolding, in which a former senior officer of the Kagoshima prefectural police is accusing the current chief, Akiteru Nogawa, of hushing up crimes allegedly committed by members of the force.

The accuracy of the accusation has yet to be determined. Nogawa has denied the allegation, but the argument he has made in his own defense can hardly be considered convincing or sufficient.

Kagoshima police have arrested the whistleblowing former officer on suspicion of leaking internal documents to a journalist--essentially, the accused party has arrested the accusing party.

Can the truth be found if the investigation is entirely in the hands of the parties involved?

The prefectural police chief may want to close the case, insisting that no misdeeds have been committed, but I can’t imagine anyone finding that conclusion satisfactory.

After the Kanagawa police case, a former chief of the Toyama prefectural police headquarters was also tried and found guilty of covering up an internal scandal.

Is it true that Nogawa did not conduct a practice of putting a lid on bad smells? The credibility of police as an organization is being questioned.

—The Asahi Shimbun, June 12

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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