The broken windows theory in Japan: the development of microlocal networks by the residents
The participation of the population in the prevention of delinquency has been encouraged in Japan, especially since the 1990s, under the influence of the broken windows theory. In comparison with North America or France, for instance, we observe a marked importance of moral education and a lesser degree of supervision by the police. Based on the analysis of documents since the 1970s as well as on field surveys (direct observations, semi-structured interviews), especially in Tokyo (Shibuya and Suginami), this article aims to clarify the ways in which the American concepts have been translated by various actors (representatives of law enforcement, researchers, urban planners, residents) in order to justify a closer relationship between the police and the population and the increasing role of residents in crime prevention. Indeed, at the slightest sign considered problematic, this new dynamic leads the population to inform the forces of law and order, thus justifying their intervention. In the case of commercial districts, the actors are repressive, while legitimizing their actions by saying that they are defending elements of local prosperity. A profiling of individuals “at risk” then develops, especially with regard to young adolescents and foreigners. Whereas, in residential areas, the broken windows theory appears as a way to highlight the moral role played by elderly persons. Thus, by exploiting the notion of civil society, the police manage to get closer to a certain part of the population.