Metropolitan Police Department

The name of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters (Article 47, Clause 1 of the Police Law). It is an organization that administers the affairs of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police under the supervision of the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Safety Commission, and assists the Commission in matters that are under its jurisdiction based on the provisions of laws and ordinances (Article 47, Clause 2 of the same law), and is headed by the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police. The Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters consists of nine departments: General Affairs, Police Affairs, Traffic, Security, Patrol, Public Safety, Criminal Affairs, Community Safety, and Organized Crime. In addition, it has the Metropolitan Police Academy, Crime Prevention Headquarters, the First to Tenth Area Headquarters, 101 police stations, and employs approximately 43,000 police officers. It was established in 1874 (Meiji 7) as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, which manages all police affairs in Tokyo Prefecture, and its status was equivalent to that of each prefecture. The first superintendent general was Kawaji Toshiyoshi. In 1877, it was absorbed into the Metropolitan Police Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs and became the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters, but was re-established as the Metropolitan Police Department in 1881. In 1947 (Showa 22), due to the reform of the police system, it became a municipal police force with jurisdiction over only special wards. During that time, the Osaka Metropolitan Police Department was also established in Osaka City, but due to the revision of the Police Law in 1954, only the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department came to be called the Metropolitan Police Department, and was positioned as the headquarters of the metropolitan police.

[Makoto Ota]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東京都警察の本部の名称（警察法47条1項）。都公安委員会の管理の下に都警察の事務をつかさどり、ならびに法令および条例の規定に基づき都公安委員会の権限に属させられた事務について都公安委員会を補佐する機関であり（同条2項）、その長として警視総監が置かれている。警視庁本部は、総務、警務、交通、警備、警ら、公安、刑事、生活安全、組織犯罪対策の9部からなり、このほか、警視庁警察学校、犯罪抑止対策本部、第一～第十方面本部、101の警察署が置かれ、約4万3千人の警察官を擁している。1874年（明治7）東京府下の警察事務いっさいを管理する東京警視庁として創設され、その地位は各府県と同等とされた。初代警視長には川路利良(かわじとしよし)大警視が任命されている。1877年内務省警視局に吸収されて東京警視本署となったが、1881年警視庁として再設置された。1947年（昭和22）警察制度の改革により、特別区のみを管轄する自治体警察とされた。その間大阪市にも大阪警視庁が設置されたが、1954年の警察法改正により、東京都警察のみが警視庁とよばれ、都警察の本部として位置づけられた。

［太田　誠］

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