Tokubetsu Koto Keisatu

Translated variously as "Special Higher Police" or "Thought Police", the Tokubetsu koto keisatu a civilian security organization of pre-1945 Japanese Naimusho (loosely translated "Home Ministry"), distinct from the military kempetai, Civilian Spy Service, or naval and military intelligence. Another common Japanese name for it was simply Tokko, but this must be disambiguated from the use of Tokko to cover all suicide attacks, not simply kamikaze aircraft.

First created in 1911 as an agency of the Police Bureau (Naimusho Keihokyoko) of the Naimusho home ministry, it was formalized as the enforcement arm of the Peace Preservation Law of 1925, it was focused on subversion against the kokutai essence of Japan, as well as the monarchy. The Law criminalized communism and socialism.

By 1928, there were offices in each prefectural capital, although they reported directly to Tokyo, not the prefectural governments. In addition, there were foreign offices in Berlin, Shanghai, and London. A 1932 reorganization created the departments:

• Left-wing activities
• Right-wing activities
• Foreign nationals in Japan
• Labor relations
• Censorship
• Koreans in Japan
• Arbitration

The organization enjoyed considerable autonomy. Its agents could give orders to regular police detectives. It was independent of Army and Navy authority. Not being especially involved in economic matters, the powerful nongovernment zaibatsu were ignored.

While it has been compared to the Nazi Gestapo, a closer analogy might be the Sicherheitsdienst (SD). The Gestapo, and, in many areas, kempetai, were police organizations concerned with order. The Inland SD (i.e., its domestic branch) was more of a security intelligence service, even, at one point, conducting opinion polls. The Tokko saw its core mission as the suppression of "dangerous thoughts".