2. Activities of the National Public Safety Commission (NPSC)

## (1) National Public Safety Commission (NPSC)

The NPSC is comprised of the Chairman who is the Minister of State, and five members. The members are appointed by the Prime Minister upon approval of both Houses. At the NPSC, they carry out duties by virtue of the authority of the Police Act or other laws such as stipulating the NPSC Regulations, appointing local police administrators $ ^{1} $ , taking disciplinary actions, and confirming if prerequisites meet actual objectives in designating Designated Boryokudans, etc. In addition, they indicate outline policies on police operations and manage the NPA by supervising prevention measures of various misconduct cases by police personnel.

During 2009, the NPSC stipulated 13 National Public Security Commission’s rules including the rule on the activities to locate missing persons.

The NPSC usually holds regular meetings every Thursday. Other than this, members meet to mutually exchange opinions, and listen to reports from the NPA. In addition, NPSC members visit various places and share opinions with PPSC members, and observe sites where police activities are conducted in an effort to grasp the public security situation and police management. These activities are also introduced on the website.

Note 1: Among Prefectural Police personnel, local police administrators are police officers in the class higher than Senior Superintendent

## (2) Prefectural Public Safety Commission (PPSC)

The PPSC and Area Public Safety Commission are comprised of five members in prefectures that include government-designated prefectures and three part-time members in other prefectures and areas. Mayors appoint the members with the consent of prefectural assemblies.

The PPSC carries out numerous administrative duties linked to people’s lives, such as driver’s license, traffic regulations, payment settlement of crime victim benefit, superintending various businesses like antique dealer businesses. In addition, it receives reports from Chief of Police Headquarters, etc. at regular meetings, etc. on the situations concerning occurrence of cases, accidents and disasters in the region, police efforts, and public security and its various measures by the police, organization and personnel management. By superintending all this, the PPSC manages Prefectural Police.

The PPSC roughly holds three to four regular meetings a month as well as trying to grasp the situation of public security and police management by participating in the Police Station Council, discussing with relevant organizations such as board of education, etc., and visiting the sites where police activities are conducted. Such activities are introduced on the website.

## (3) Contact among Public Safety Commissions

The NPSC and the PPSCs conduct various liaison conferences in order to maintain close contact with each other. During 2009, liaison conferences between the NPSC and the PPSCs from across the nation were held twice, and opinions on the current status of management of the police by the PPSC were exchanged.

During the same year, in each region and in Hokkaido, intra-jurisdiction liaison conferences between PPSCs and the Area Public Safety Commission in Hokkaido were held a total of 14 times, with participation of NPSC members. Furthermore, a liaison conference comprising the 15 public safety commissions in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Osaka and designated prefectures were held, at which reports were made and opinions exchanged concerning the public safety situation in each prefecture and efforts by the respective Public Security Commission, with members from the NPSC attending.