Sections of the Japanese police force have recently been sharply and justifiably criticized, as have police in other countries from time to time. The maintenance of high ethical standards in police forces worldwide should be a high priority for all governments. Yet it is not an easy thing to achieve.

Police who are criticized, whether an entire force or specific individuals, are rarely willing to accept full responsibility for their actions and often manage to cover up illegal acts. In many societies, the authorities sometimes argue that it is better to overlook police failings so that the fight against crime will not be undermined. But if the police are allowed to escape responsibility for their mistakes or criminal acts, the maintenance of law and order will become more difficult and human-rights abuses will grow.

The first priority must, in my view, be to defend human rights. This requires constant vigilance on the part of politicians, the judiciary and the media. Politicians are often corrupted by power and unfortunately cannot generally be relied on to promote human rights and pursue police reform vigorously, but an independent judiciary and an active media should be able to do so. Threats by criminals against the judiciary and media must accordingly be dealt with particularly firmly.