A history of Japan's National Police Reserve 1950-1952 : army or constabulary?

• Main Author: French, Thomas William
• Other Authors: Aldous, Chris ; Haydon, Colin ; Chernyshova, Natalya
• Published: University of Winchester 2010
• Subjects: 363.20952
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.549635

This work is an empirical study of the history of Japan's National Police Reserve from its creation in July 1950 to its end in October 1952. It is the first ever attempt at a comprehensive and exclusively focused history of the force. The work examines the domestic and international origins of the force, the American Constabulary model upon which it was based, the NPR's character, and its evolution into its successor forces, the National Safety Force and Ground Self Defence Force. The study also seeks as its first aim, to demonstrate the Japanese influences on the creation of the force, especially that of the Japanese Communist Party, whose policy of violence during the period is a highly neglected area of the historiography. The second main aim of this study is to reveal the actual organisational character of the NPR. This is required in a field where there is much debate over the character of the force but hitherto little work based on primary sources. As the NPR has not yet been the exclusive subject of any academic monograph the study makes important contributions in a number of fields. Despite no detailed analysis having been done to date on the nature and organisational character of the force many assumptions are made about its character. By providing this analysis this study contributes significantly to clarifying many misconceptions currently held about the force. Alongside these major contributions the study also contains many original elements and approaches to specific historiographical issues and problems.