Draft:Special Investigation Department (Japan)

The Special Investigation Department is a division of the District Public Prosecutors Offices in Japan.

Overview
Other District Public Prosecutors' Offices in the country have established a Special Criminal Department, which function as both a Special Investigation Department and a Public Security Department. These have been established by reorganizing the former public security department. The special criminal division is the territory of public security prosecutors.

Within the district public prosecutors office, which has its own investigative authority, the Special Investigation Department handles cases that require intensive investigation, such as large-scale cases.

The head of the Special Investigation Department is ranked higher than other department heads, and is considered to be the third highest office in the district public prosecutor's office, following the chief, and deputy prosecutors.

The department Independently investigates political corruption, large-scale tax evasion, and economic incidents. While most criminal cases are investigated by the police, these types of cases are often investigated by the special investigation department from the beginning. However, in cases of large-scale tax evasion involving violations of the Income Tax Act by organized crime groups, the police may begin investigations. Additionally, the Fair Trade Commission has exclusive authority to bring charges regarding violations of the Anti-monopoly Act.

The Tokyo Special Investigation Department was first established as the Hidden Storage Incident Investigation Department in 1947, when corruption cases involving the former Japanese military, politics, and business circles occurred. It was then renamed in 1949. Osaka's Special Investigation Department was established in 1957, and in 1996, another was in the Nagoya district, resulting in three special investigation departments nationwide.

Category:Political corruption Category:Criminal investigation