The is a law enforcement agency under the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office. It is the central agency of the Japanese police system, and the central coordinating agency of law enforcement in situations of national emergency in Japan. Unlike other national police in other countries, the NPA does not have any operational units of its own aside from the Imperial Guard. Instead, its role is to supervise prefectural police and determine general standards and policies, though in national emergencies or large-scale disasters the agency is authorized to take command of prefectural police. As of 2017, the NPA has a strength of approximately 7,800 personnel: 2,100 sworn officers, 900 guards, and 4,800 civilian staff. History Police services of the Empire of Japan were placed under complete centralized control with the of the Home Ministry at their core. But after the surrender of Japan, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers regarded this centralized police system as undemocratic. During the occupation, the principle of decentralization was introduced by the 1947 Police Law. Cities and large towns had their own , and the was responsible for smaller towns, villages and rural areas. But most Japanese municipalities were too small to have a large police force, so sometimes they were unable to deal with large-scale violence. In addition, excessive fragmentation of the police organization reduced the efficiency of police activities. As a response to these problems, complete restructuring created a more centralized system under the 1954 amended Police Law. All operational units except for the Imperial Guard were reorganized into prefectural police for each prefecture, and the National Police Agency was established as the central coordinating agency for these Police Departments. Organization Leadership The is the highest ranking police officer of Japan, regarded as an exception to the regular class structure. For the , the Senior Commissioner is supplemented. The are their staff. The civilian political leadership is provided by the National Public Safety Commission. Internal Bureaus Community Safety Bureau The is responsible for crime prevention, combating juvenile delinquency, and pollution control. This bureau was derived from the Safety Division of the Criminal Affairs Bureau in 1994. Criminal Affairs Bureau The is in charge of research statistics and coordination of the criminal investigation of nationally important and international cases. (Direct reporting divisions) Traffic Bureau The is responsible for traffic policing and regulations. This bureau was derived from the (later merged with