In Japan as elsewhere, there's an enormous demand for detective fiction, especially in the realm of terebi dorama (TV serials) (テレビドラマ). A well-made keiji-mono (police detective story) (刑事モノ) always soars to the top of the ratings list, partly because viewers can never seem to get enough of them, but mostly because TV stations normally allocate a sizable budget and the resources necessary to create a migotae no aru (worth-seeing) (見応えのある) hit series.

Thanks to this, many people in Japan have become amateur criminologists and the number of keisatsu mania (police enthusiasts who collect uniforms, weapons and paraphernalia online and from the black market) (警察マニア) reputedly increases with each passing year.

Those who don't go that far will still be familiar with police-drama jargon and the mannerisms of detective fiction. "Taiyō ni Hoero (Howl at the Sun)" (「太陽にほえろ」), a landmark 1970s TV series that's become a classic, is said to have single-handedly taught Japanese men how to talk, swagger and smoke with the kakkoii　(cool) (かっこいい) assurance of a fictional police detective.