The 1954 law requires that police operations be free of political influence. It stipulates that prefectures constitute police operational units, and it assigns specific functions to the National Police Agency. Japan's police system consists of two essentials: (1) the law guarantees political neutrality and democratic control of the police by retaining the national and prefectural public safety commission and (2) the law eliminates the dual system of national rural police and municipal police and centralizes the police into the prefectural system. Circumstances leading to the establishment of the 1954 police law are reviewed as well as general provisions of the law, the National Public Safety Commission's duties and authorities, and the functions of the National Police Agency. Detailed consideration is also given to the prefectural police, police officer ranks and duties, special measures in a state of emergency, and miscellaneous and supplementary provisions of the 1954 law. Nineteen appendixes provide additional information on the responsibilities and organization of Japanese police and on relevant regulations. Tables and figures