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→House Visits
===House Visits===
===House Visits===
One of the most important duties carried out by the police is the so-called "home visit." Twice a year, "residence information cards" are filled in by police officers during door-to-door visits of each household within their precinct. These cards contain information about who lives in the house and which family member to contact in case of emergency, the relationship between the various occupants of the house, their occupations, working hours, and even the make of car they own.<ref>L Craig Parker; The Japanese Police System Today: An American Perspective; Kodasha International; 1984</ref> As part of the home visits, all gun licensees are checked, to ensure that their gun has not been stolen or misused, that it is securely stored as per regulations, and that the licensees are emotionally stable.
One of the most important duties carried out by the police is the so-called "house visit." Twice a year, "residence information cards" are filled in by police officers during door-to-door visits of each household within their precinct. These cards contain information about who lives in the house and which family member to contact in case of emergency, the relationship between the various occupants of the house, their occupations, working hours, and even the make of car they own.<ref>L Craig Parker; The Japanese Police System Today: An American Perspective; Kodasha International; 1984</ref> As part of the home visits, all gun licensees are checked, to ensure that their gun has not been stolen or misused, that it is securely stored as per regulations, and that the licensees are emotionally stable.
However, police surveillance goes beyond house visits and checking up on license owners. Japanese police have a long-standing tradition of keeping tabs on the local populace and monitoring every aspect of life (a fact which came to light with the inclusion of such statistics as the disturbing "Background and Motives for Girls' Sexual Misconduct" in the the nation's official year-end police report.<ref>National Police Agency, Japanese Government, White Paper on Police 1986 (excerpt), translation: Police Association (1986), page 70</ref> Virtually every citizen is the subject of a police dossier of one form or another.
However, police surveillance goes beyond house visits and checking up on license owners. Japanese police have a long-standing tradition of keeping tabs on the local populace and monitoring every aspect of life (a fact which came to light with the inclusion of such statistics as the disturbing "Background and Motives for Girls' Sexual Misconduct" in the the nation's official year-end police report.<ref>National Police Agency, Japanese Government, White Paper on Police 1986 (excerpt), translation: Police Association (1986), page 70</ref> Virtually every citizen is the subject of a police dossier of one form or another.