Old driver's license used as security material, fear of violating law, nationwide investigation - Is it becoming a regular occurrence in Kanagawa? National Police Agency

On the 22nd, the National Police Agency revealed that there may have been an inappropriate handling of old licenses that had been used as materials for the security department for more than 30 years within the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department, in response to an issue in which a police sergeant at the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department's security division was illegally taking expired driver's licenses that had been collected at the time of driver's license renewal. There is a high possibility that this would violate the Personal Information Protection Act, so the agency ordered prefectural police to investigate the situation, and set up a team to conduct a nationwide investigation to see if there were any similar cases in other prefectural police departments.

Old driver's license illegally taken? Investigation of male police officer - Kanagawa Prefectural Police

Yoshinobu Kusunobu, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, apologized at a regular press conference on the same day, saying, ``It is natural to comply with laws and regulations when conducting police activities.The actions of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police should not be allowed to occur, and we will take them seriously.'' The company said it will work to restore trust by implementing measures to prevent a recurrence, such as erasing all information that was not properly obtained and reviewing the way the security department collects information.

According to the agency, a male police officer in his 20s left a backpack containing 31 old driver's licenses at a station in August, and a station staff member reported that he had taken them with him. It is said that the driver's license was given to him by a traffic section officer at the Kohoku police station, where he worked until March.

At the police station, all licenses collected by the traffic division during the renewal process were passed on to the security division. It is said that the Security Division used facial photographs from old driver's licenses and other documents in the demographic data of people targeted for surveillance that it had created for the investigation, and shared them with the prefectural police headquarters.

In a survey of veteran police officers conducted by the prefectural police, multiple police stations other than Kohoku Police Station were mentioned, and testimony was obtained that they had been operating in a similar manner since at least the 1990s. There is a suspicion that this has become a regular occurrence within the prefectural police.

The Personal Information Protection Act allows the acquisition of driver's license data if there is a ``reasonable reason'' such as for investigation use or counterterrorism measures. However, this time, all licenses were handed over, including those of unrelated citizens, and the agency determined that ``there is a high possibility that it would be illegal to use the licenses for other purposes.''

In the future, the prefectural police will inspect the materials they hold and delete all data that appears to be based on old driver's licenses. Other personal information will be retroactively deleted unless it is clear that it was acquired properly.

Additionally, police departments across the country have been notified of the renewal procedures. In principle, old licenses will be returned to their owners with a hole punched out, and if they cannot be returned, they will be promptly disposed of within the transportation department.