Possible Whistleblowing by Local Policeman

A former police officer, who had been indicted with charge of leaking private information to a journalist, testified in his trial on June 6th that the top officer of his organization concealed a internal scandal made by some police officers. The top officer denied that argument without presenting any evidence. The National Police Agency (NPA) required thorough investigation on the issue. 

A retired policeman Takashi Honda, former Director of Community Safety Department of Kagoshima Prefectural Police Office, was arrested on May 31st with suspect of violating National Public Service Act with leaking private information of policemen to the third party. It was reported that Honda had sent the document to a journalist in Sapporo, Hokkaido, with a hope of publishing the hidden secrets in March.

 

In his court hearing on June 6th, Honda admitted that he had sent document about the scandals inside Kagoshima police office to a journalist. “I could not tolerate that the Chief of Kagoshima Prefectural Police Office tried to conceal the crime made by the police officers,” said Honda in the hearing.

 

He revealed that the chief was not active in investigating a case in which a sergeant with Kagoshima police office tried to take sneak photo of a woman in a public toilet. According to the reports, it was the case in Makurazaki city, Kagoshima, in December 2023. Honda also argued that the chief had been so negative in taking on other scandals that he was disappointed to that attitude for concealing inconvenient truths.

 

The Chief of Kagoshima Prefectural Police Office, Akiteru Nogawa, told the reporters that the police would make necessary investigation on the argument of Honda, but did not explain about whether he had been trying to conceal the scandals. The day after his comment was reported as not denying the possibility of concealing scandals, Nogawa denied his intention to conceal the scandal. “I ordered nothing with my intention of concealing,” said Nogawa.

 

The main point of this issue is whether the fact that Honda sent a document to a journalist was leaking private information or whistleblowing about hidden scandals. Whistleblower Protection Act determines that the appointer needs to prevent dismissal or any other disadvantageous treatment of any national public employees on the basis of the whistleblowing.

 

Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission and one of the ministers of Kishida Cabinet, Yoshifumi Matsumura, required further investigation on the issue. “Including the argument of the defendant, it is important that the case will be thoroughly investigated,” said Matsumura, indicating a possibility of inspection by NPA.

 

Nogawa was appointed as the chief in Kagoshima prefectural police office in October 2022. He is one of the elite officers who worked for NPA. Honda is a policeman who worked for Kagoshima prefectural police office since 1987 and retired this March. It is indicated that the case is based on a fundamental disagreement between elite bureaucrats and local officers.

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