NPA and Kumamoto Police Swap Posts; Shoichi Sato Leads Life Safety

The National Public Safety Commission has appointed Senior Commissioner Kei Ohno as the Chief of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters, and the National Police Agency (NPA) has appointed Senior Commissioner Shoichi Sato, the Chief of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters, as the Director of the Community Safety Planning Division of the Community Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency. Both appointments were effective as of October 9 and were announced in the personnel changes section of the Official Gazette (dated October 22, Reiwa 8). This transfer simultaneously replaces the head of the prefectural police and a core post for community safety measures within the NPA.

The personnel changes section of the Official Gazette is structured to list the executive appointments under the jurisdiction of the National Public Safety Commission and the National Police Agency side-by-side. In this instance, the arrangement was an “exchange-type” placement, where a Senior Commissioner from the NPA was appointed as the successor to the Prefectural Police Chief, while the incumbent Prefectural Police Chief was moved to a division director position at the NPA headquarters. The Community Safety Planning Division is the department responsible for the planning and coordination of community safety measures, such as crime prevention, juvenile and personal safety, and consumer protection, and it occupies a central position within the NPA’s Community Safety Bureau.

National Public Safety Commission Appoints Kei Ohno as Chief of Kumamoto Prefectural Police

The National Public Safety Commission issued the following appointment:

• Kei Ohno, Senior Commissioner. Previously attached to the Secretariat of the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. Appointed as Chief of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters (October 9).

Moving from a position attached to the Secretariat of the Commissioner General at the NPA headquarters to the Chief of the Prefectural Police, the rank of Senior Commissioner is maintained. As the head of the prefectural police, the Chief oversees public security operations and general police administration within the prefecture.

Shoichi Sato Moves to Core Post in NPA Community Safety Bureau

The National Police Agency issued the following appointment:

• Shoichi Sato, Senior Commissioner. Previously Chief of the Kumamoto Prefectural Police Headquarters. Appointed as Director of the Community Safety Planning Division of the Community Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency (October 9).

In this transfer, an executive who served as a Prefectural Police Chief takes on a division director role at the headquarters; this placement can be interpreted as a move to reflect experience in field-level public security operations in the planning of community safety measures.

Jun Hattori Relieved of Acting Duties as Director of Community Safety Planning Division

On the same date of October 9, the National Police Agency issued an order relieving Superintendent General Jun Hattori of his duties as the Acting Director of the Community Safety Planning Division of the Community Safety Bureau of the National Police Agency. Mr. Hattori holds the position of Vice President of the National Police Academy and Councilor for the Secretariat of the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency (in charge of the Community Safety Bureau), and had been ordered to handle the duties of the division director in the Official Gazette dated September 16. With the arrival of Mr. Sato, the acting duties held concurrently are being terminated.

Change in Public Security Leadership Overlapping with the Recovery Period from the Kumamoto Earthquake

This personnel transfer coincides with the ongoing recovery and reconstruction following the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake. The Official Gazette of the same date also includes a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare ordinance establishing the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake Disaster Special Human Resource Procurement Support Course Incentive, targeting business owners of establishments located within Kumamoto Prefecture; consequently, the development of systems to support employment and livelihood reconstruction is progressing within the prefecture. The change in leadership of the Prefectural Police, who are responsible for maintaining public order and implementing community safety measures in the disaster-stricken areas, will directly impact the operational structure of this recovery phase.

The change of the Chief of the Community Safety Planning Division also extends to the planning policies for community safety measures implemented by prefectural police forces nationwide. While the appointment of a former Prefectural Police Chief to a planning post at the Ministry is expected to lead to policy adjustments based on actual field conditions, the Kumamoto Prefectural Police face the challenge of establishing a system to simultaneously manage earthquake response and routine public order operations under the new Chief.

Source: Official Gazette (dated October 22, Reiwa 8), Personnel Transfers section; National Public Safety Commission and National Police Agency Appointments (Appointment date: October 9).