Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Narcotics Unit Agent Speaks Out: Real Name and Face Revealed… The “Car Stop” Episode: “I Caught Him in the Rearview Mirror”—Violation of the Firearms and Swords Control Act

The “Abilities” of the Unit’s Ace

It happened while we were cruising down Auxiliary Route 26, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ebara Police Station (Shinagawa Ward), in a patrol car. Behind the wheel was the late Akio Kuroki. Although he later became a prominent police journalist, at the time he was making a name for himself as the ace of the Second Motorized Patrol Unit.

The Motorized Patrol Unit (Jishatai) is a group of experts in patrols and stop-and-questions. I was still a rookie in my twenties, but I had begged my superior to let me ride along with the “ace” for just two or three days.

On the sidewalk in the opposite lane, a man was walking in a T-shirt, sweatpants, and sandals. There was nothing particularly suspicious about him.On my days off, I, too, would go to the convenience store dressed in similar casual attire. He looked to be in his late 40s. However, after passing the man, Mr. Kuroki had the patrol car make a U-turn and said,

“Pull him over.”

Although the origin of the phrase is unclear, it’s police jargon meaning “stop him for questioning.”

The man’s only possession was a black long wallet. However, he refused to show its contents. After calling for backup over the radio and finally managing to conduct a search of his belongings—a packet of methamphetamine emerged from inside the long wallet.

“How did you know?” I asked. Officer Kuroki replied with just one sentence: “That guy noticed the patrol car and put his left hand in his pocket.” I later learned that the man was an active yakuza member who was missing his left pinky finger. Officer Kuroki didn’t miss the fact that he had unconsciously hidden it to keep it from being seen by the patrol car.

Fumitaka Kobikimaki (53), a former assistant inspector with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, has devoted most of his 30-year career—since joining the force in ’93—to investigating organized crime and drug cases. In this installment, we take a closer look at “stop-and-frisk,” the ultimate public safety measure for “preventing crime before it happens.”

A Strange Feeling in His Line of Sight

It was 8:00 a.m., and even as his shift was about to end, Mr. Kuroki remained fully focused. After passing a white Cedric that had been stopped about 50 meters ahead, Mr. Kuroki pulled his patrol car right in front of it and said, “Let’s pull him over.”

“I’m on my way to play golf. I’m meeting a friend right here right now.”

There was nothing unnatural about the male driver’s response, but when Kuroki checked his driver’s license, it turned out he was a yakuza. Spotting a cane placed between the driver’s and passenger’s seats, Kuroki asked, “What’s this?” to which the man replied, “My legs aren’t what they used to be.” Did you all notice something “off” about that?

Here was someone about to go play golf saying he had “bad legs.” Mr. Kuroki said, “Can I touch this for a second?” as he picked up the cane and handed it to me. It felt heavy, and when I spun the handle around, a sword slid out. It was what’s known as a concealed cane.

Mr. Kuroki placed a notepad against the blade right there, and it sliced right through. He was probably carrying it for self-defense. However, it seemed he really had intended to go golfing—there was a golf bag in the trunk, and a friend had come along—but perhaps having made up his mind, the yakuza told his friend, “Looks like we won’t be able to go golfing today,” and sent him home.

Looking at the Cedric parked 50 meters away, I wondered why he’d decided to “ram it.” I was stunned when I heard Mr. Kuroki’s explanation.“It’s because I saw the patrol car in the rearview mirror,” he said. Even though he had been watching the patrol car approaching from behind in the rearview mirror the whole time, “when it actually passed by, I unnaturally looked away from the patrol car and pretended not to care.”

It’s hard to put this “skill” into words. There was an instance where a member of the “Voluntary Unit”—the same unit Mr. Kuroki belongs to—brought someone in for questioning to the station because they had “agreed to accompany us voluntarily.” While I was interviewing the person in the interrogation room, the officer was searching every nook and cranny of the sports bag they were carrying.

It was a perfectly ordinary sports bag, and I thought to myself, “Nothing’s going to turn up,” but then—they found a frayed spot at the base of the bag’s handle. As they unravelled the fray, a thin, flattened packet of meth emerged.

“Conduct 50 patrols a day. And make a note of exactly what time, where, and whom you approached.”

Mr. Kuroki ordered me to do this. As I followed his instructions, I gradually began to understand the flow of people in my assigned area at different times of day. And I started to notice “small things that didn’t quite add up.”

[Click here for Part 2] A Metropolitan Police Department Narcotics Unit Officer’s Confession—Real Name and Face Revealed… The “Stop-and-Search” Edition: “Deliberately Provoking a Stop-and-Search”—The Clever Tactics of Drug Organizations

From the September 25, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*