International: Sex Code for Cops

Some of the rules on sexual behavior seemed to have been designed for a Victorian boarding school for boys. “When out on a date, be sure to head home early.” “Refrain from premarital sex even when the girl is your fiancee.” “If you go all the way, marry her quickly or your fever will cool down.” “Keep your hands off married women or the result will be a calamity.” “Beware of sweet words from bar girls and cabaret hostesses.”

These exhortations were compiled by top-ranking police officers of Saitama prefecture, ten miles north of Tokyo. The sex directives are part of a 45-page code of conduct issued to 6,840 members of the Saitama police force. The handbook, which also includes strictures against drinking and bribe taking, was prompted by the rising crime rate among police in Japan. Following the rape-murder of a college student by a bachelor cop last year, one Tokyo newspaper sagely observed that despite the police force’s proud record of professionalism, “under the uniform there is nothing but naked flesh.”

Though the new code frowns on promiscuity, it also concedes the difficulty of continence. “When you try to excessively control sex, you might end up touching off an explosion,” it explains. Masturbation, the handbook says, is “the safest way” to relieve sexual tensions and certainly preferable to dalliance with prostitutes. Reason: “You might even be blackmailed into marrying such a girl.”