Translation guide
In Japan, the unit responsible for monitoring and controlling political thought and expression is the Public Security Bureau, often referred to as the 'thought police' in a historical context.
The contemporary police division tasked with investigating activities deemed threatening to public safety, including political extremism.
The pre-war and wartime special higher police that suppressed political dissent and controlled thought.
公安警察 (Public Security Police) is part of the police force and focuses on criminal investigations related to public security. 公安調査庁 (Public Security Intelligence Agency) is an intelligence agency under the Ministry of Justice that investigates organizations rather than individuals, primarily for the purpose of applying the Subversive Activities Prevention Act.
The English phrase 'police unit controlling political thought and expression' is a description, not a standard term. In Japanese, the historical unit is specifically 特別高等警察 (特高), and the modern equivalent is 公安警察. Using a literal translation like 政治思想表現取締警察 would be unnatural and confusing.
The Public Security Police, a division within the National Police Agency that handles investigations related to public security, including political extremism and terrorism.
公安警察は過激派の動向を監視している。
The Public Security Police are monitoring the activities of extremist groups.
The Public Security Intelligence Agency, a separate organization under the Ministry of Justice that investigates subversive organizations.
公安調査庁は破壊活動防止法に基づいて調査を行う。
The Public Security Intelligence Agency conducts investigations under the Subversive Activities Prevention Act.
The Special Higher Police, commonly known as the 'thought police', active from 1911 to 1945, tasked with suppressing socialist, communist, and anti-war movements.
特別高等警察は治安維持法に基づいて多くの活動家を逮捕した。
The Special Higher Police arrested many activists under the Peace Preservation Law.
Abbreviation of 特別高等警察, widely used in historical contexts.
特高は言論弾圧の象徴とされている。
The Tokkō is considered a symbol of suppression of free speech.
Literally 'thought police', a direct translation sometimes used in historical or literary contexts, but less common than 特高.
その小説では思想警察が市民を監視している。
In that novel, the thought police are monitoring the citizens.