Police Duties Execution Act amendment bill moves to House of Councillors

The Bill for Partial Amendment of the Police Duties Execution Act (Cabinet Bill No. 15), submitted by the Cabinet, was forwarded from the House of Representatives to the House of Councillors on November 10, and was received by the House of Councillors on the same day. The Diet matters in the November 12, Reiwa 8 issue of the Official Gazette officially announced the “forwarding of the bill” by the House of Representatives and the “receipt of the bill” by the House of Councillors as of that date. The deliberation of the Cabinet bill to amend the basic law governing the execution of police duties will now move to the House of Councillors.

The Police Duties Execution Act, which is the subject of the amendment, is Act No. 136 of 1948 and is the basic law that stipulates the requirements and procedures for the execution of duties by police officers. It is recorded in the Diet matters of the October 20 issue of the Official Gazette that the Cabinet submitted the amendment bill to the House of Representatives on October 16, and on the same day, it was forwarded to the House of Councillors for preliminary examination. The text of the bill itself was not published in the Official Gazette, and individual amendment items cannot be identified from this publication.

Progress from Submission to Receipt by the House of Councillors as Recorded in the Official Gazette

Within the scope of the Diet matters verifiable in the Official Gazette, the status of the bill is organized as follows:

• October 16: Submitted by the Cabinet to the House of Representatives and forwarded to the House of Councillors on the same day for preliminary examination.
• November 10: Forwarded from the House of Representatives to the House of Councillors; received by the House of Councillors on the same day.
• November 12: The Official Gazette published the announcement of the aforementioned forwarding and receipt.

The entry in the House of Councillors’ bill referral column for the same November 10 indicated that the Bill for Partial Amendment of the Act on Salaries, etc. of Secretaries to Members of the Diet (House Bill No. 2) was referred to the Committee on House Rules; the referral of the Police Duties Execution Act amendment bill to a committee cannot be confirmed in this issue.

Cabinet-Submitted Bills Forwarded to the House of Councillors on the Same Day

Four bills were forwarded simultaneously from the House of Representatives to the House of Councillors, and the Police Duties Execution Act amendment bill was one of them.

• Bill for Partial Amendment of the Commercial Code and the International Carriage of Goods by Sea Act (Cabinet Bill No. 21)
• Bill for the Rationalization of the Use of Designated Waterways to Ensure the Stable Transport of Crude Oil, etc. (Cabinet Bill No. 11)
• Special Measures Bill concerning the Ensuring of Performance of Specified Cargo Insurance Contracts and Specified Vessel Insurance Contracts (Cabinet Bill No. 12)
• Bill for Partial Amendment of the Police Duties Execution Act (Cabinet Bill No. 15)

House of Councillors Agenda and Referral Status of Other Cabinet Bills

The House of Councillors’ agenda for November 11 (Wednesday) (No. 5) published in the Official Gazette lists first the Bill for the Temporary Special Measures Act on Election Dates, etc. for Members and Heads of Local Public Entity Assemblies, and second the Bill for Partial Amendment of the Act on Salaries of General Service Employees, etc.; the Police Duties Execution Act amendment bill has not been tabled. The start date for committee examination will be indicated in future announcements of the agenda.

In the House of Councillors, the referral of bills submitted by the Cabinet proceeded as early as November 9. The Bill for Partial Amendment of the Local Public Service Disaster Compensation Act and the Local Public Service Mutual Aid Association Act (Cabinet Bill No. 5) was referred to the Committee on Internal Affairs and Communications; the amendment bill for the Special Measures Act on the Payment of Benefits, etc. to Persons Infected with Specific Hepatitis B Virus (Cabinet Bill No. 9) was referred to the Committee on Health, Labour and Welfare; and the amendment bill for the Act on Compensation for Pollution-related Health Damage (Cabinet Bill No. 14) was referred to the Committee on Environment.

Recent Institutional Developments Regarding the Laws Subject to Amendment

Article 6-2 of the Police Duties Execution Act stipulates measures to prevent cyber hazards, and the rules and cabinet orders supporting its operation were established between September and October of this year.

• National Public Safety Commission Rule No. 19 (September 25, 2026, Yasuhiro Nashi, Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission) stipulates the procedures for notification to administrators, etc., based on Paragraph 8 of the said Article.
• To coincide with October 1, 2026, the enforcement date of the Act on Prevention of Damage Caused by Unlawful Acts against Important Computers (Act No. 42 of 2025), the Ministry of Defense amended the Order for Enforcement of the Act on Salaries, etc. of Government Employees on the 30th of the same month, stipulating the duties under the jurisdiction of the Hazard Prevention Supervision Division.
• Administrative tasks regarding the approval, confirmation, and recommendation of the said Article are divided among relevant agencies, including the application of mutatis mutandis provisions of the Self-Defense Forces Act.

As this is an amendment to a fundamental law that affects both the authority of police activities in the field and the guarantee of citizens’ rights, the focus moving forward will be on how the committee examinations in the House of Councillors begin and the schedule for deliberations in the plenary session. The Official Gazette only publishes the titles of the bills and the stage of deliberation; the details of the amendments will become clear during the subsequent process of Diet deliberations.

Source: Official Gazette, Thursday, November 12, 2026, Diet Matters (House of Representatives “Transmission of Bills,” House of Councillors “Receipt of Bills,” Agenda No. 5); Official Gazette, October 20, 2026, Diet Matters (House of Representatives “Submission of Bills,” House of Councillors “Receipt of Bills (Preliminary Examination)”); Official Gazette, November 11, 2026, Diet Matters (House of Councillors “Referral of Bills”); National Public Safety Commission Rule No. 19 (September 25, 2026); Police Duties Execution Act (Act No. 136 of 1948).