Departments
Intermediate Japanese - Free Online Course
KOOBAN
交番
"police box"
In comparative terms, Japan is an extremely safe country. While the exact statistics vary from year to year, the overall crime rate in Japan general runs around ten percent of that of the United States. In Japan, to be arrested for committing a crime causes deep personal shame, and will likely lead to social ostracism—a terrible prospect in a society where relationships and social standing are so important.
Despite the low crime rate, security is a serious preoccupation of citizens and authorities alike. Therefore, you will see many police officers in Japan. In most cities, there is a kōban, or “police box” located at intervals of two or three blocks. Physically, kōban resemble toll booths or cashiers’ stations in all-night gas stations. They are small, and typically fashioned of metal and glass.
Each kōban covers an area consisting of two or three hundred households. This allows the police officers who staff the kōban to develop close relationships with the residents in the area. The officers may spend several hours a day patrolling the area on bicycles, and perhaps asking passers-by if they have seen any activities in the area which warrant their attention. The officers may also check in on elderly people who are living alone.
Another curiosity of Japan is its inanimate police force. Life-sized plastic replicas of police officers are placed along roadways to remind drivers of the speed limit. (I wonder if such devices would be effective in the United States?)