Criminology is not an autonomous branch of learning in Japan; rather it is a conglomeration of practical applications of various disciplines such as psychiatry, psychology, sociology, and law. No university has a department or even a subdepartment of criminology, although a medical school maintains a research center for criminal psychiatry. Many universities offer classes on subjects related to criminology, but usually the courses are only special adaptations of an established discipline, such as criminal psychology and criminal sociology. There is no unified organization embracing all criminologists in Japan. The Japanese Association of Criminology, the oldest of the criminological groups, is composed predominantly of physicians involved in forensic medicine, insanity testing, or the etiology of crime. Japanese criminologists appear to be moving from their earlier heavy dependence on imported ideas and are beginning to develop versions of criminology suited to the sociopolitical environment and crime problems of Japan. Crime-rates in Japan declined from 1959 to 1973. Possible reasons for the low crime rate are offered. Thirty-seven notes and five bibliographic listings are provided.