A strong sense of justice and responsibility. In addition to apprehending criminals, they may also perform rescue work, so they must be physically strong and confident to serve. Police work as an organization, so it is also important to be cooperative and follow the rules.

Police officers, like detectives, are not only in charge of arresting criminals. They are also involved in a variety of other jobs, such as community policing, which involves patrolling the community and providing geographic information; traffic policing, which involves cracking down on traffic violations and examining the scene of traffic accidents; life safety policing, which deals with such issues as unethical business practices and juvenile crime; security policing, which helps people when a major disaster occurs; and general affairs and police police administration, which provides backup for a large number of police officers. There are many different types of police work.

To become a police officer, one must pass the "Police Recruitment Examination" administered by each prefecture. In addition to the academic examination, physical requirements must also be met. In the case of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, for example, men must be at least 160 cm tall and women must be at least 154 cm tall. The weight must be 48 kg or more for boys and 45 kg or more for girls. They must also be healthy enough in terms of vision and physical ability to be able to perform their police duties. Athletic ability is also required, and martial arts such as judo and kendo should be mastered.

There are three types of examinations for police recruitment: Class I, Class II, and Class III, and the examinations that can be taken differ according to educational background and academic ability. It should be noted that there is a difference in starting salary and eligibility for promotional exams between those who pass the Class I exam to become police officers with a college degree and those who pass the Class III exam to become police officers with a high school degree. Note that there are some years when Class II (equivalent to junior college graduates) are not recruited.

The types of crimes, such as bank transfer fraud and Internet crimes, are becoming more diverse. Crimes involving high-tech devices are also increasing, and personnel with strong skills in the latest technologies will likely be needed in the future. In addition, as the number of cases involving foreigners is increasing, police officers with language skills will also be in demand.

Salaries for police officers are higher than those of ordinary civil servants. Taking the Metropolitan Police Department as an example, the starting salary as of January 1, 2022 is 253,300 yen for a Category I recruit and 213,900 yen for a Category III recruit (including regional allowances). In addition, an allowance for dependents, a housing allowance, a commuting allowance, and a special service allowance are paid.

Regular work hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Work conditions vary by department and position, including a full workweek, three to six shifts, and night work.

Police stations in each prefecture.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to getting a job as a police officer!