JAPAN: DATABASE LISTING DNA TYPES OF HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS BEING SET UP TO AVOID CONFUSION WITH DNA OF SUSPECTS.

"While the National Police Agency has instructed prefectural police to prevent interfusion of investigators' DNA samples at crime scenes, details of each prefectural police department's measures have not been revealed so far.

In Tochigi Prefecture, DNA detected from tissue fragments collected at a murder scene involving a 7-year-old girl in 2005 was found more than three years later to be that of a senior investigator in charge of heinous crimes.

The database, introduced last summer, has DNA types of more than 200 investigators, who are involved in investigations mainly over murders and robberies, according to the sources."

THE MAINICHI DAILY NEWS;

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"UTSUNOMIYA, Japan, (Kyodo) -- The Tochigi prefectural police have set up a database listing DNA types of the investigators as a way to avoid mixing up suspects' DNA collected at crime scenes with that of investigators, investigative sources said Saturday," the July 4, 2010 Mainichi Daily News story published under the heading, "Tochigi police set up database of investigators' DNA," begins.

"While the National Police Agency has instructed prefectural police to prevent interfusion of investigators' DNA samples at crime scenes, details of each prefectural police department's measures have not been revealed so far," the story continues.

"In Tochigi Prefecture, DNA detected from tissue fragments collected at a murder scene involving a 7-year-old girl in 2005 was found more than three years later to be that of a senior investigator in charge of heinous crimes.

The database, introduced last summer, has DNA types of more than 200 investigators, who are involved in investigations mainly over murders and robberies, according to the sources.

The DNA collected at crime scenes is initially referred to the database to sort out that of investigators, and then examined for whether it matches that of suspects of unsolved cases, the sources said.

Atsushi Akane, a professor of forensic medicine at Kansai Medical University, said it is necessary to legalize the rules on how to deal with samples collected at crime scenes in order to avoid the interfusion of those of investigators and suspects so police forces will introduce them nationwide."

The story can be found at:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100704p2g00m0dm021000c.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be accessed at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

For a breakdown of some of the cases, issues and controversies this Blog is currently following, please turn to:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-feature-cases-issues-and.html

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;