A police officer who urged soccer fans at Shibuya's scramble crossing not to get carried away after last Tuesday's game against Australia has become a "star" on YouTube.
The officer, who belongs to the PR division of a riot police squad, is regularly assigned to control crowds at events, such as rallies and festivals. Last Tuesday night, after Japan drew 1-1 with Australia to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, the officer was perched atop a police vehicle, urging excited fans not to run amok.
He has been dubbed "DJ Cop" by the tabloids and online media because of his eloquent and humorous speaking style. "Members of the Japanese team are renowned for their teamwork and following the rules," he told the crowd at Shibuya after the game. "As you are the 12th member of the team, I believe you can do the same. You don't want to receive a yellow card."
There were no incidents at Shibuya after the game and everybody dispersed safely, police said.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said Monday it was considering giving the officer a special award for his contribution to public safety.
© Japan Today
27 Comments
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mobiledesign
there should be more j-cops like this guy. My hats off to him.
CrazyJoe
This man passed the 警備広報上級検定 (keibi koho jyoukyu kentei) test which is given to riot policeman each year. Only a few pass this test out of 3,000 applicants.
Stephen Knight
Yeah, this guy was pretty cool... who knew riot police had their own PR department!?!? Now if someone could subtitle this so my non-Japanese-speaking friends can enjoy his patter... ;-)
Wolfpack
It's nice to see fans celebrating Japan's qualification for the World Cup without anyone getting killed.
Stephen Knight
The version I saw had more like 950,000 views... pretty respectable, even 'these days.'
ShimokitaKid
I have had nothing but good experiences from the Japanese police. The cops in Australia could learn from them - exchange bullying the public with showing them respect and courtesy - and in return the public will respect you.
CGB Spender
Only works in Japan since soccer fans here seem to actually have a sense for responsibility.
Yubaru
The 2:30 portion of the video gave me a laugh, he honestly admits that if people focus on him he's going to get nervous!
The part at about 5 minutes is great too! Thanks for posting this, gave me a laugh this AM!
Tamarama
Japanese fans run amok.....that's very amusing.
smithinjapan
I heard about this guy, and my hats off to him as well. Not sure how he's a "DJ" since he's not spinning discs, but all the same.
soldave: "140,000 hits makes you a Youtube sensation these days? The bar is definitely being lowered."
Well, it's certainly no Psy, but given the nature of the event and that the guy was not promoting himself, I'd say it's not bad.
kiwifruit
He got the heart of the youth.
Yubaru
Uzai....
gaijinfo
His demeanor and attitude remind me of the ride operators at Disneyland when I was a kid.
wanderlust
Move over Justin Beiber and Psy - DJ Cop is the new hit...
GyGene
Even though I've gotten speeding tickets here, I still like Japanese cops!
hkitagawa
DJ Cop in Japan. That is fantastic!
m6bob
Yes, I agree with CGB Spender. In Japan the crowds are almost always well-behaved, so an encouraging effort by the policeman helps. I have been to J-league matches and even amongst the fanatical home fans, they behave properly and obediently.
ReformedBasher
Um, didn't you think this through before moving here? Maybe you were expecting crowd control, etc in English?
I remember that DJ train conductor thing (in the 90s?), was good to listen to.
smithinjapan
m6bob: " I have been to J-league matches and even amongst the fanatical home fans, they behave properly and obediently."
Have you been to the Dotonbori River in Osaka when Hanshin Tigers do extremely well? In this case, of course, we are talking about soccer and not baseball, but the point is not everyone follows the rules. True, you most certainly do not hear about any riots here when the team loses, but there are some examples of jubilation boiling over if you know where to look. Not saying that's a bad thing, either.
Row Bur
Japanese are generally pretty non-agressive, and don't look on police as the enemy, I think Aussies could learn a lot from Japanese crowd behaviour and attitude.
Get Real
Because you never bothered to learn what you're hearing?
Fadamor
Here's the parts I understood: minna-san, kudasai, onegai, and arigatou. So I basically missed the entire meaning of his talk, but I didn't find it any more annoying than typical megaphone chatter. I know a few police units here in the states who would LOVE to get that kind of crowd response from one of their officers.
Nessie
There's something about Japanese shouted through a loudspeaker that just grates on my nerves.
soldave
140,000 hits makes you a Youtube sensation these days? The bar is definitely being lowered.
Serrano
Urusai.
nath
Count me unimpressed? Dj Cop? I think this guy would be qualified to work the megaphone at the front of an electronics store or supermarket. But he lacks the flair of a dj. Low bar indeed.
LH10
very annoying and noisy let me sleep