A head patrol officer in Hokkaido was officially disciplined this week after it was reported that he left a firearm loaded with live ammunition in a public toilet.
The man, an officer in his 20s, left his loaded revolver in a supermarket toilet in Kitami on May 7, TV Asahi reported Friday. According to police, the officer did not realize the firearm was missing until a supermarket employee handed it in to the police station an hour and a half later.
According to a statement released by police, there was no evidence that the gun had been used in the interim. The officer was docked one month's pay on Thursday, following which he tendered his resignation, police said.
© Japan Today
21 Comments
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Maria
The first is par for the course; the second unusual. I suppose if he'd been older (ie more established) he'd have been encouraged to stay on.
Seems like you're only allowed to cock up once you're supposed to know it all, but not when you're still learning...
JeanValJean
" the officer did not realize the firearm was missing until a supermarket employee handed it in to the police station an hour and a half later."
Must have been so relieved to lighten his load that he didn't recognize the additional missing kilogram!
The employee should be rewarded with the cops salary reduction.
CrazyJoe
It's good a child (or even a criminal) didn't get hold of the gun first, the outcome could have been different.
tokyodoumo
it was a stupid mistake by young inexperienced cop in his twenties, having to resign is too harsh. the store clerk could of waited little longer to return the firearm.
Sherman
He 'dumped' the gun.
Gerard van Schip
This is Japan, while resigning seems strange to us it makes sense here.
USNinJapan2
Shouldn't the revolver be attached to the holster with a lanyard? Every armed cop I've seen in Japan have a cord that runs from the butt of the revolver to the holster so that they are always connected even if the the weapon is drawn.
paulinusa
Maybe he was loaded.
StormR
Lucky someone with the right intentions found it, cops need more awareness and probably intellect but guess anyone with enough intellect would seek a better job with better pay.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
To be fair, docking 1 month's pay would be Jyusyoubun (Heavy Punishment) in their internal disciplinary system, and probably means the end of the career. For a youngster, he might as well throw it out and start over. While for a older guy who clearly isn't going to make the "greats", he has a lot more to worry about and less to gain so he may as well stay on as long as they let him.
nedinjapan
There are a lot of idiots like this guy among the police force in Japan. It is regrettable that only a few will resign ...
Chin4Sailor
Needn't say another word.... The Few, The Proud, The JCops....
Gaijin Desi
In the process of unloading himself he forgot loaded arms in the toilet, its a mistake that's all.
nath
Leave your loaded service weapon in a supermarket bathroom? That's a paddling. I just can't believe you could manage to leave that behind.
Frungy
Actually, the store clerk couldn't. Possession of an unlicensed firearm carries heavy jail time in Japan. Just holding onto that gun for 30 minutes could have got him arrested.
Also, I think he did the right thing in resigning. It shows that he understood that his negligence could have resulted in someone dying. Sure we all make mistakes, but if you made the same mistake with your gun you would be arrested by the police when you went to claim it. This kid got off TOO LIGHT with just one month's pay docked, and made up the difference by resigning.
toshiko
Frungy wrote Actually, the store clerk couldn't. Possession of an unlicensed firearm carries heavy jail time in Japan. Just holding onto that gun for 30 minutes could have got him arrested.''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Maybe he placed the gun in a box or something and did not hold?
Maybe he did not hold the gun for 30 minutes?
Are you guessing that he held the gun for 30 minutes or more in the bathroom and in the store?
The article did not mention he held the gun like you stated.
Chin4Sailor
I think in this case it was pretty clear, he wasn't taking the gun for a trip to his HS Reunion.
Japanese civilians are not allowed to posses ANY Handguns Period. Even Armed Japanese Civilian security guards working at U.S. bases in Japan are NOT allowed to step one foot outside the U.S. property line, or they could face prosecution under Japanese Law. Ironically, there are NO restrictions on U.S. Military personnel carrying ANY type of firearms (Of Course On-Duty) including fully-automatic guns, anywhere in Japan, even in Civilian Attire.
Frungy
I'm assuming English isn't your first language. In this case "held" does not mean literally holding the gun and waving it around, but rather "being in possession of". If the gun was kept in a box under the counter, or in a cash register he would still be "holding" it.
The problem here is how strict the Japanese police are about these things. If you find a gun you need to turn it in immediately. Not 5 minutes later, not 10 minutes later, not 1 hour later, not 1 day later. If the police find you with the gun and you're not actually going to the koban to turn it in they can (and will) arrest you for possessing a firearm. Saying, "I was going to turn it in during my lunch break / on my way home / tomorrow / next week...." isn't a legal defence.
This is why the supermarket employee couldn't wait for the police officer to return. In fact it would have been safer for him to just lock the bathroom, leaving the gun inside, and call the police to come and pick it up.
Noliving
A revolver? I would have thought he would have a semi-automatic handgun instead of a revolver.
Magnus Roe
No, they carry revolvers and have no choice or say in the matter.
toshiko
@Frungy: I was writing about the store clerk who found the gun.
Are you writing that the clerk should be arrested if he did not keep the gun to the bathroom?
You wrote about Japanese law, aren't you?
Question again, By Japanese law, was he arrested for carried the gun out from the bathroom?
Are you suggesting that the gun should be in the bathroom?