PRINCIPAL POLICIES OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT

Public Security Measures

The number of known criminal incidents in Tokyo Metropolis now exceeds 300,000 cases per year, a situation posing an increasingly serious threat to the status of Tokyo as one of the world's safest and most secure urban centers.

To target this rising crime through a more comprehensive promotion of public security measures, the TMG launched the Emergency Public Security Headquarters on August 1, 2003.

Appointed as Headquarters Director to oversee these public security measures was Yutaka Takehana, Vice Governor of Tokyo. This unit is now active in planning, drafting and coordinating all policy measures relevant to public security.

The Headquarters is working to recover public order in Tokyo Metropolis from three perspectives: safe and secure community development; countermeasures for juvenile crime; and fighting crimes committed by foreigners.

Safe and Secure Community Development Ordinance

The Tokyo Metropolis Safe and Secure Community Development Ordinance was enacted on October 1, 2003. This legislation seeks to mobilize teamwork and cooperation between Tokyo residents, non-profit organizations, volunteers, wards and municipalities, the TMG, the police and other interested parties in the quest to return Tokyo to a community where people can live in safety with peace of mind. Tokyo is currently putting forward a wide range of policy measures based on this decree.

Safe and Secure Community Development

The TMG is working to restore safety and security to the Tokyo community by advancing numerous approaches from the guiding principle of creative community development.

Emergency Inspections of TMG Administered Facilities and Local Communities
Security inspections of parks, vacant lots, parking lots, roads, station buildings and other public facilities are conducted, and checks are made of blind spots in buildings, dim lighting, proper installation of crime prevention equipment and other key points.

Personal Safety Checklist for Residents
To encourage Tokyo residents to further cultivate a spirit of self support and "taking responsibility for one's own safety," every citizen receives a checklist of 34 items designed to assist them in maintaining personal safety.

Crime Prevention Guideline Based on Safe and Secure Community Development Ordinance
A crime prevention guideline has been produced with regard to residences, roads, parks, automobile and bicycle parking lots, schools and the surrounding areas, with the aim of promoting facilities free of crime.

Establishment of Tokyo Metropolis Safe and Secure Community Development Council
A council has been formed from approximately 60 groups, including the government, Tokyo citizens, businesses, community organizations and other participants, in support of efforts to build an environment that has strong consideration for crime prevention.

Crimes Involving Juveniles

Like many major cities, Tokyo is experiencing an increase in incidents where children are involved in crimes as victims or perpetrators. The seriousness of this trend has prompted demands to strengthen programs and approaches aimed at protecting children from risky environments, detrimental information and other threats to their health and welfare.

In Tokyo, an association has been established to propose policies to prevent children from becoming involved in crimes, with the group compiling the Emergency Proposal: Plan for Preventing Juvenile Involvement in Crime.

Based on the contents of this proposal, schools, PTA branches, volunteers, the police, companies, local communities and other related groups and institutions work together to introduce specific and effective measures toward this end.

Crimes Committed by Foreigners

Crimes committed in Japan by undesirable foreigners have grown more vicious and organized in recent years, with the methods and schemes used also becoming increasingly shrewd and planned. The nature and scope of such criminal activity is clearly exceeding the realm of conventional experience and wisdom.

Tokyo Metropolis is determined to target the problem of crimes by such foreigners with an even stronger stance than that taken in the past. This will include even tighter collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Department, the Ministry of Justice, individual wards and other authorities and municipalities, in moving to reduce the crimes committed by foreigners.

Conference of Public Security Action Delegates from Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro Districts
Representatives of the communities and police authorities from these three districts, which contain many of the leading entertainment quarters in Tokyo, meet to discuss the problems and potential resolutions for maintaining safety and security in their locales.

Liaison Council for Preventing Illegal Activity by Foreign College and Pre-College Students
The national government, local authorities, educational institutions, the Metropolitan Police Department, the TMG and other units are the focus of this council, which meets to discuss ways of staying informed about the status of foreign college and pre-college students in Tokyo, the best way of strengthening guidance for schools that accept foreign students, measures to prevent international students from becoming involved in illegal activities and other themes.

Joint Declaration to Strengthen Countermeas-ures Aimed At Foreigners with Illegal Visa Status in the Greater Tokyo Area
The Ministry of Justice, the Metropolitan Police Department and the TMG are cooperating to strengthen the ability to identify foreigners staying in Japan illegally and tighten entry and visa status checks in a concerted push to reduce the number of illegal foreign residents in Tokyo by half over the coming five years.