Interviewing techniques to obtain factual information

Abstract

In the past two decades, through the movement of victim support, the Japanese police have promoted the issue of providing support to victims in police activities to one of high concern. However, the Japanese police initially had little concern regarding the problematic issues arising from interviews and interviewing techniques that intend to elicit additional detailed information from the victims and/or witnesses. With the publication of the “Program to Advance Investigation Methods and Interrogations” by the National Police Agency, a basic training manual for investigative interviewing was published by the National Police Agency, and systematic and practical training based on psychological findings were provided to police officers across Japan. Throughout this training, police officers acquired basic skills for eliciting detailed information from interviewees without asking leading questions. As for interviewing children, the matters of suggestibility as well as developmental issues have to be considered. Although we have no official “forensic interviews,” a new collaboration among related agencies has just started looking into child victims' interviews, so at least the knowledge and skills of basic interviewing techniques have to be shared among people who treat child victims.