FUKUOKA - With the number of foreign residents in Fukuoka Prefecture surpassing 110,000 at the end of last year—a record high—the need for police interpreters is becoming increasingly urgent, especially as incidents involving foreigners continue to rise.
Against this backdrop, a skills competition for Chinese-language police interpreters was recently held in Fukuoka, drawing eight participants from police departments across the Kyushu and Okinawa regions.
Representing Fukuoka was 49-year-old Inspector Miyahara, a member of the prefectural police’s international investigation unit. In addition to his work on cases involving Chinese nationals, Miyahara is also responsible for training police interpreters. "Literal translations don’t always resonate emotionally with the person you’re speaking to. Choosing words that truly reach the other party is something I take very seriously—it’s difficult but essential," he said. His demeanor and fluency are said to give him the presence of a native speaker.
According to the Immigration Services Agency, the number of foreign nationals residing in Fukuoka stood at 113,159 as of the end of December, setting a new record. At the same time, incidents and accidents involving foreigners are also increasing. The prefectural police currently have 125 registered interpreters across 17 languages, but around 40% of interpreting duties were outsourced to private contractors last year, underlining a serious interpreter shortage.
To raise awareness of the importance of police interpreters, Miyahara visited a university in Yamaguchi Prefecture known for its large number of foreign language students. There, students had the opportunity to experience actual interpreting scenarios. Demonstrating how numbers are counted using one hand in Chinese, Miyahara showed that cultural knowledge is essential to avoid misunderstandings. "In Chinese, six is shown like this, seven like this, and eight like this," he explained, noting how easily miscommunication can arise without cultural context.
He emphasized to students that effective interpretation requires not only language skills but also a solid grasp of the country’s social and cultural background. One student remarked, "I didn’t know that existed—it was eye-opening."
The purpose of the competition held in Fukuoka was also to raise broader public awareness of the importance of police interpreters. "I want to take this opportunity to reconsider whether my approach to police interpreting, developed over many years, might have some blind spots," said Miyahara.
During the tournament, which followed a knockout format, Miyahara’s semifinal opponent was a police officer from the Oita Prefectural Police. Contestants were asked to interpret a testimony from a Chinese witness describing the scene of an incident. The witness said, "I pass that road every day on my way to work. It’s about five minutes by bike or 7–8 minutes on foot from where I live."
When Miyahara needed to clarify a point, he calmly asked, "Sorry, can I confirm something?" before continuing. In both competition and daily duty, he places a premium on polite and accurate interpretation.
Miyahara advanced to the semifinals and went on to win the entire competition, with the awards ceremony held the following day. "I’m honored and very happy," he said. "I hope to be someone who helps bridge the gap between Japanese and foreigners living together in the same society."
As the number of foreign residents continues to grow in Fukuoka, interpreters who can bridge linguistic and cultural divides are becoming ever more essential.
Source: FBS Fukuoka Broadcasting News
