# Topic I. Formulating the “Action Plan for the Realization of a Society Resistant to Crime 2008”

The initiatives of the police alone are not enough for the restoration of public safety. The police are promoting close cooperation with concerned organizations and groups and working with the public with the aim of once again making Japan “the safest country in the world.”

In order to stop the increase of crimes and to eliminate the concerns of the citizens, the NPA formulated and announced the “Program for Emergency Public Safety Control” in August 2003. $ ^{1} $ In order to complete and accelerate this program and assure that Japan is on track toward the restoration of public safety, the NPA formulated and announced “Seven Important Points for the Recovery of Public Safety” in August 2006. $ ^{2} $

The initiatives of the police alone are not enough to once again make Japan the safest country in the world – public linkages in the field of administration are essential. In December 2008, the government established the “Action Plan for the Realization of a Society Resistant to Crime 2008” (Hereafter “the new action plan”), a comprehensive, sustainable and wide-reaching policy management to prevent crime.

The NPA is promoting many effective initiative based on the new action plan in order to achieve the true realization of an orderly society.

Note 1: In July 2007, the NPA compiled a comprehensive evaluation report on measures described in the program clarifying some results of the measures from various angles.

2: In April 2008, the police verified that implemented policies were proceeding as planned.

## (1) Efforts of the Ministerial Meeting concerning Measures against Crimes

1) Holding Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures against Crime and its Philosophy

Since the situation of public safety had become dangerous, and the people got seriously alarmed, government as a whole has realized the importance of promoting countermeasures for the crimes. In September 2003 the government held the First Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures Against Crime, led by the Prime Minister. This was the first time that a comprehensive and cross-ministerial framework had been established to broadly handle general crime policy.

The “Three Viewpoints for the Restoration of Public Safety” that were given at the meeting not only provide viewpoints for proposing, implementing, and evaluating individual policies, but also serve as a philosophy for realizing comprehensive and broad-ranging countermeasures for crime.

Diagram I-1 Three Viewpoints for the Restoration of Public Safety

## 2 ) Efforts based on the “Action Plan for the Realization of a Society Resistant to Crime”

With the provision of these three points of view, the 2nd Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures against Crime in December 2003 established the “Action Plan for the Realization of a Society Resistant to Crime” (hereafter “the old action plan”). The objective for the Government over the five years following the enactment of the Action Plan is to eliminate public unease about safety, halt the increase in crime, and emerge from the current public safety crisis. To this end, the Government will steadily implement various policies.

Tailored to the old action plan above, the Government has steadily implemented crackdowns on crime, a strengthening of border control measures in cooperation with related organizations, the revision of various laws related to public safety, including the Penal Code, and a significant increase in community police officers, Immigration Bureau personnel, Customs personnel, and others. Efforts in accordance