The Japanese police sergeant from Hiroshima, walking Waikiki's well-known streets out of uniform, has been propositioned by prostitutes and drug dealers who are not particularly subtle about their business.

Here on an exchange program to observe American crime and police, Nomura and police Sgt. Akio Maruko have been shocked by the boldness of lawbreakers.

Japan has prostitution and drugs, but not in such numbers. And not so in-your-face.

The Honolulu Police Department is giving Nomura and Maruko first-hand experience in the potential dangers against tourists here. It wants the two to understand the difficulties of prosecuting such offenses as well.

But Nomura and Maruko also want to learn how American cops handle the crime plaguing this country.

Although U.S. crime statistics still dwarf those in Japan, the two believe their country is becoming less and less a haven of safety.

"The Japanese media is forecasting that the myth of safety in the Japanese society is in the process of crumbling," Nomura said.

Nomura and Maruko are here on a monthlong exchange. Recently HPD police officers Rik Orton and Paul Ledesma were in Hiroshima.

"There's respect for the police there," Orton said. "They (Japanese) feel very comfortable reporting cases. Here they feel reluctant and a lot go to travel agents first to report crime . . . Maybe in America there's more fear of abuse of (police) power."

With rising crimes against tourists here, the exchange is particularly pressing for Honolulu police, who want to expand the exchange to other Japanese prefectures. They hope such links will educate Japanese police about the American legal system and secure their help in prosecuting local crimes against Japanese visitors.

"We'd like them to know we're taking special measures to learn Japanese culture and the law system and taking special interest in their safety," Orton said.

Subtlety and saving face is enormously important in Japan - only places and dates of Japanese executions are publicized, while names are still withheld in respect to the criminal's family - and that makes prosecuting crimes against tourists even more complicated.

But as crime quietly rises in Japan, Nomura and Maruko want to know more about American cops.

Public pride in Japan's renowned peace and order has been eroding in recent years. A poll taken by the prime minister's office in 1993 found 50 percent of Japanese felt social peace and order were their greatest source of national pride; by the end of 1994 that had plunged to 10 percent.

Last year, the Japanese suffered a major blow to their almost legendary sense of security when a nerve-gas attack on Tokyo's subway system killed 10 and sickened 5,000.

Government figures show some increase in crime: 1.6 million total offenses in 1990 compared to 1.8 million in 1994. Felony crimes increased from 5,930 to 7,320, including 1,238 homicides in 1990 to 1,279 in 1994.

More attention has been focused on the "speed tribes" - younger generations turned off by the Japan Inc. mentality.

"Crimes are becoming more dangerous among the young," said Maruko, who has never seen a gun fight.

Even though carrying and owning guns is against the law, he said more Japanese are buying smuggled firearms and carrying knives. An increasing number of grisly murders have shocked the public.

Although far behind America, drug use is also increasing. Nomura works on drug and prostitution cases and said most such crime goes on behind closed doors through syndicates and escort services, not on the streets.

He said it's common to see junior-high school prostitutes in Hiroshima and blamed a lack of respect among the young and a hunger for more spending money.

Police, who carry guns but seldom use them, keep close community ties through the koban, or "police box" mini-stations located in all neighborhoods. The koban keeps a log of all residents and police make house visits at least once a year.

Japan does not use a grand jury system, and police and prosecutors decide if they have a strong enough case to take to court. Time-consuming, careful investigations resulted in a 99 percent conviction rate last year.

Maruko said he respects Honolulu police. "Their attitude toward the job is generally like the Japanese. But the daily crime is so high."