Three Japan police officials reprimanded for paid writing work

July 12, 2019

Tokyo--Japan's National Public Safety Commission has taken disciplinary actions against three police officials for receiving fees from a publisher without going through proper procedures for written work used in workbooks for police promotion tests.

The three received respective rewards worth some 2 million yen to around 20 million yen. They all voluntarily quit their jobs after getting punished by Friday.

According to the National Police Agency, an assistant commissioner of the Osaka prefectural police department was reprimanded with a pay cut. A superintendent of the Kumamoto prefectural police department and an assistant commissioner of the Miyagi prefectural police department who was on temporary assignment to a regional police school were each punished with a formal warning.

The commission dealt severely with the three as they were involved in the work in question regularly or continuously and the rewards they had received were large.

The commission also gave cautions to 18 other police officials for having taken part in similar paid work.

At the request of the Tokyo-based publisher, Edu-Com, the 21 officials wrote questions and answers for publication in the workbooks used by people taking police promotion tests, without obtaining permission for side jobs under the public service law. They also failed to file reports about receiving rewards for the work.

The NPA instructed prefectural police departments across the country to ensure that staff members report to their bosses when they engage in writing work, give lectures or do other side jobs. Jiji Press