Although it is beyond doubt that participation observation is one of the best methods by which to gather precise information about the role of police in Japanese society, Japanese scholars have rarely undertaken this kind of research. The sole exception has been juvenile delinquency, but even in this area Japanese scholars have failed to explore juvenile crime. Japanese police refused either to be observed or criticized by Japanese scholars, even to the point of opening the interrogation rooms, or Ryuchijyo, in police stations. Believing that the low crime rate in Japan reflected their success, police officials concluded that they had little to learn.