Fake Japanese police uniform, reportedly from China, sparks real-life crime concerns

A man has sparked significant concern online after sharing images of himself dressed in a remarkably realistic replica of a Japanese police uniform.

The Weekly Women’s Prime news magazine reported on May 1 that the photos have gone viral in Japan, with many people expressing fear that anyone can now obtain a police uniform and impersonate an officer.

The photos depict a man wearing a standard blue police shirt, with a shoulder badge. He has a stab-proof vest displaying the logo of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and a high-visibility armband. Additionally, he is equipped with a police-style belt that includes a holster and baton, and a two-way radio receiver clipped to his shoulder.

The location of the photos remains uncertain, but there is speculation that the man may have been in China, as the images were accompanied by the phrase “Kanagawa Prefectural Police cosplay” written in Chinese.

Social media users in Japan have expressed their concern.

“If someone wearing that uniform spoke to you in Japanese, then it would be natural to assume they were a police officer,” read one comment on the magazine’s website. “An elderly person or a child would do as they were told without thinking, and they could easily be kidnapped.”