In 'Detective Conan,' Fingerprints Solve Cases—When Did Taiwan's Police Start Using Fingerprints to Catch Criminals? The Answer Is Earlier Than You Think

In 'Detective Conan,' whenever a glass, doorknob, weapon, or any touched object appears at a crime scene, fingerprints often become a crucial clue in tracking down suspects. For modern audiences, police searching for fingerprints at crime scenes is commonplace. But if we go back over 100 years, this was once a cutting-edge 'high-tech' method.

So, when did Taiwan start using fingerprints to identify criminals?

The answer is much earlier than many imagine.

Historical records show that in 1910, Taipei Prison began experimenting with fingerprinting. By 1912, the Taiwan Governor-General's Office officially established a personal identification system for criminals, incorporating fingerprints as a method to identify and manage criminal identities. Later, in the late 1910s, specialized fingerprint personnel emerged within police units. By 1921, professional police publications were already discussing how to collect, preserve, and process fingerprints left at crime scenes.

In other words, Taiwan's engagement with fingerprint identification technology dates back over 110 years.

When did Taiwan start using fingerprints? Taipei Prison began trials in 1910

The history of fingerprint use in Taiwan can be traced back to Taipei Prison in 1910.

Research published in the Taipei Fine Arts Museum's 'Journal of Modern Art' indicates that Japan formally introduced fingerprinting into its prison system in 1908, with Taiwan following shortly after. Before the official prison fingerprint system was established in 1912, Taipei Prison had already begun demonstrating and testing fingerprint methods in 1910.

The method used at Taipei Prison at the time was not the modern image of 'detectives collecting fingerprints at crime scenes.'

Instead, it functioned more like a 'criminal identity archive.'

Historical records show that inmates' names, ages, photos, physical characteristics, criminal records, and verdicts were documented, along with their fingerprints and bodily features. One key purpose was to identify repeat offenders—if a person reoffended, authorities could determine whether they were a previously incarcerated recidivist.

In an era without computer databases, facial recognition, or even a mature modern ID system, this method was highly significant.

If a criminal changed their name or lied about their identity, they might evade detection based on name or appearance alone. Fingerprints provided an alternative method of identity verification.

The formal establishment of the criminal fingerprint system in 1912

A pivotal turning point came in 1912.

Archival materials from the National History Museum Taiwan Historical Archives, including the 'Taiwan Government Gazette,' show that in 1912, the Taiwan Governor-General's Office issued the 'Regulations on the Handling of Personal Identification Methods.' Related government documents record 'Establishing the Handling Regulations for Criminal Personal Identification Methods (Ordinance No. 133).' The publication date of the 'Taiwan Government Gazette' materials is June 20, 1912.

Research indicates that this system combined fingerprint registration with other physical identification data, enabling systematic recording and retrieval of criminal identities. It is regarded as a key starting point for Taiwan's early institutionalization of biometric personal identification.

So, if asked, 'When did Taiwan start using fingerprints to identify criminals?'

The answer can be traced back to the early 1910s.

But there's a crucial distinction.

The 1910 trials and 1912 institutionalization primarily demonstrate 'using fingerprints to identify and manage criminal identities,' but cannot directly imply that 'in 1912, Taiwan's police were already solving crimes using fingerprints left at crime scenes.'

The development toward the modern concept of 'crime scene forensics' came later.

When did Taiwan's police begin researching 'crime scene fingerprints'? In the late 1910s

A key figure was Sekidan Toshio.

He later became known as a painter and shakuhachi player, but his early work in Taiwan was surprisingly related to criminal forensics.

Historical records show that Sekidan Toshio worked on fingerprint matters in the Prison Section of the Legal Affairs Department of the Taiwan Governor-General's Office starting in 1914. The 1917 issue of the 'Taiwan Police Association Magazine' recorded that due to his extensive experience in fingerprint collection, he was hired by the Taipei Prefectural Police Division to assist in improving methods for investigating recidivists. Related research considers this the first instance of a Taiwanese police unit hiring a specialist dedicated to fingerprint work.

This timing is significant.

Because the use of fingerprints began shifting from managing criminal identities within prisons to actual police investigative work.

By 1921, the 'Taiwan Police Association Magazine' published Sekidan Toshio's experiences with fingerprint work, directly discussing how to collect, preserve, and process fingerprints left at crime scenes, including the use of photography, physical, and chemical methods to aid criminal investigations.

At this point, it had become very close to the scenes familiar to fans of detective manga.

A century ago, they already knew: if a criminal touches something, they may leave a fingerprint

More interestingly, by the 1920s, the idea that 'fingerprints at crime scenes can catch criminals' had moved beyond police expertise and entered public awareness.

On April 21, 1924, the 'Taiwan Minpo' newspaper published an article titled 'Scientific New Detective Methods,' introducing the latest scientific crime-solving techniques to general readers, listing fingerprints as a key piece of crime scene evidence.

The way the article explained it would feel very familiar to modern readers.

If fingerprints are invisible to the naked eye, powders can be used to reveal the patterns. Chemical methods can also be applied to latent fingerprints, which are then photographed and preserved. If fingerprints are on movable objects, the items can be taken back for further inspection.

Even the question 'What if the suspect flees far away?' had a solution.

The article introduced France's developed photo-electric transmission technology, which could send photos and fingerprints of suspects via communication devices to distant law enforcement agencies for identification.

Of course, this 'Taiwan Minpo' article introduced the latest international forensic knowledge of the time and cannot prove that every police unit in Taiwan widely used these techniques by 1924.

But it does prove one thing: over 100 years ago, Taiwanese society already clearly understood that 'criminals leave fingerprints at crime scenes, and science can reveal them.'

When police had no computers, how did they identify a criminal from a single fingerprint?

Even if they knew how to collect fingerprints a century ago, the real challenge came afterward.

Finding a fingerprint doesn't mean instantly knowing whose it is.

In modern crime dramas, we often see 'uploading a fingerprint to a database for search.' But back then, there were no digital images, let alone computers to automatically match fingerprints from vast databases.

Therefore, establishing criminal fingerprint archives in advance was crucial.

Police or judicial authorities had to first record criminals' fingerprint data so that when the same person reappeared, they could be identified through existing records. The composite archive of photos, physical measurements, criminal records, and fingerprints established at Taipei Prison in 1910 was an early example of this identification system gradually taking shape.

So, the true power of fingerprint forensics isn't just 'finding a fingerprint on a cup.'

It also requires a massive system for organizing and comparing data in the background.

Without comparable records, even a perfect fingerprint might not directly tell the police who the criminal is.

By the 1930s, Taiwan's forensic equipment became increasingly comprehensive

Fingerprints were just one part of scientific crime-solving.

Related research shows that by the 1930s, the Taiwan Governor-General's Police Bureau began expanding forensic equipment and professional personnel. By 1934, microscopes and other equipment enabled blood analysis. Around 1937, the police bureau equipped X-ray, ultraviolet, photography devices, mineral microscopes, and pathological tissue inspection equipment, capable of handling evidence like blood, hair, saliva, and fingerprints left at crime scenes.

In other words, from the 1910 fingerprint trials at prisons to over 20 years of development, Taiwan's criminal investigations gradually evolved into a more complete scientific forensic methodology.

However, technological progress didn't mean all cases relied solely on scientific evidence. Historical records still show instances of torture, forced confessions, and wrongful judgments, indicating that new forensic techniques coexisted with old investigative methods.

If Conan traveled back to 1910s Taiwan, police already knew about fingerprints

So, if Conan really time-traveled to Taiwan over 100 years ago, the situation might be more interesting than imagined.

If he arrived in 1910, Taipei Prison was already experimenting with using fingerprints to confirm criminal identities. By 1912, this personal identification method was formally institutionalized.

A few years later, around 1917, police units already had dedicated fingerprint personnel. By 1921, the collection, preservation, and processing of crime scene fingerprints had become topics of discussion in police professional publications.

Since Taiwan began fingerprint trials in 1910, established a criminal fingerprint system in 1912, further integrated fingerprint technology into police work in the late 1910s, and by the early 1920s, crime scene fingerprint collection and preservation had become scientific crime-solving techniques discussed in police professional circles.

Today, seeing detectives examine fingerprints on cups, doorknobs, and weapons in detective manga feels perfectly normal.

But over 100 years ago in Taiwan, this represented a completely new investigative concept: instead of only asking suspects, 'Did you do it?' investigators could return to the crime scene and see what traces they had left behind.

References Liang Qiuhong, 'The Prehistory of Crime Photography in Taiwan: Identity Documents under Japanese Colonial Gaze,'