Crime Car thief shot dead by police

It's rare for the Japanese police to use their firearms; it's even rarer for them to employ deadly force. And cars also don't get stolen often.

The car had been reported stolen outside the prefecture. About three minutes before the shooting, the two police officers from the Yao Police Station on patrol spotted the vehicle on the streets of Hirano Ward, Osaka city. They initially lost sight of it but caught up with the car about 1.6 kilometres away and gave chase with a flashing red light and a siren. Ishibashi, finding himself forced to stop behind a truck at a traffic signal, slammed the car into reverse, ramming the police vehicle. The police officers warned him they would shoot him if he did not get out.

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At around 1:20 p.m. on 13 January, a police officer fired shots and injured a person on the street in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture. According to the city's fire department, a man believed to be in his 40s was shot in the abdomen and taken to hospital in cardiopulmonary arrest but was later confirmed dead. A police car pursuing a white car was seen on nearby security footage just before the shooting.

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thomas said:

It's rare for the Japanese police to use their firearms; it's even rarer for them to employ deadly force. And cars also don't get stolen often.

Man fleeing in stolen car fatally shot by police at traffic signal | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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I wonder what use of force rules they followed. Maybe some assumption that he could hurt or kill somebody if he kept fleeing.
In the U.S. this wouldn't be remarkable at all as many cops escalate to deadly force quickly with no penalty. But highly unusual in Japan.

When I heard this news, I remembered this case.
The criminal may be related to this case.

The police were robbed of their thing which the convoy of the police which carried a car used for a car break-in in Osaka-shi was attacked by someone, and there was in a car.

I'm guessing most police in Japan don't carry guns unless they have had a lot of training and time practicing at the shooting range. A car can be as dangerous a weapon as a gun or knife in some cases and you also have to think about future danger if the bad guy is allowed to get away. I feel for the officer that did the shooting , a lot of mental crap will weigh heavy on his mind for the rest of his life. I imagine the police internal investigation will be a long hard process to go through for the officer also. Google says this is the standard issue gun for Japanese police? Hard to believe they haven't upgraded to a semi-auto pistol?

mdchachi said:

In the U.S. this wouldn't be remarkable at all as many cops escalate to deadly force quickly with no penalty.

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Agree, and this kind of comment might be relevant in that other thread. Or start an analogous one--minor things that can get you shot by police in america.

thomas said:

It's rare for the Japanese police to use their firearms; it's even rarer for them to employ deadly force. And cars also don't get stolen often.

Man fleeing in stolen car fatally shot by police at traffic signal | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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That's really rare. I think this is the first time I have come across such news during so many years in Japan. Things seem to be changing. First Abe murder incident and now this - though both can't be compared but for Japan these surely are rare.

Uncle Frank said:

I'm guessing most police in Japan don't carry guns unless they have had a lot of training and time practicing at the shooting range. A car can be as dangerous a weapon as a gun or knife in some cases and you also have to think about future danger if the bad guy is allowed to get away. I feel for the officer that did the shooting , a lot of mental crap will weigh heavy on his mind for the rest of his life. I imagine the police internal investigation will be a long hard process to go through for the officer also. Google says this is the standard issue gun for Japanese police? Hard to believe they haven't upgraded to a semi-auto pistol?

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I think all Japanese police carry guns as standard equipment. At least the regular police who are on the street or patrol.
I guess they mostly still use the New Nambu M60. I couldn't find a reference to anything different even though they stopped manufacturing them about 30 years ago.

I guess , why spend the money on new 9MM's with a 15 round(or more) magazine when chances of getting in a prolonged gunfight in Japan are slim to none. I could not remember if police in Fukuoka wore guns or not , memories too faded. Funny , all of a sudden the past few months in the US , revolvers are coming back in style instead of the high powered semi-autos. I have a S&W 5 shot just like the Nambu M60 (but in .357) that I often carry and really like. Semi-auto handguns do jam and sometimes have issues where as revolvers are pretty much fool proof to use , easier to clean and train on.

More questions than answers.

And also, while this is standard human language, the thread title leads you to an unfortunate conclusion. He was much more than a car thief at the time he was shot. It seems he was in fact, for a time at least, a deadly threat to the public as a fleeing, speeding driver.

But was he still a threat when wedged between cars? Was he still a threat for refusing to get out of the car?
Was he in the car when shot? I just cannot find proper justification fo the shooting in the article at the time he was shot.

What is more, why chase him? Don't they have radios? Coordination? Live satellite tracking?

Odds are he would not have been driving dangerously if not the for the police chasing him...who are also driving dangerously and adding to the threat to the public. And shooting shots into a car also adds to the threat to the public.

The article says they arrested him even as he lay dying. But did they try to staunch his bleeding? Call an ambulance first?

The lack of detail suggests poor performance and over-reaction on the part of the officers, perhaps even maliciousness. I have a feeling they are going to face serious consequences because here in Japan, police accountability is a thing, at least in situations like this.

Master of Time said:

The lack of detail suggests poor performance and over-reaction on the part of the officers, perhaps even maliciousness. I have a feeling they are going to face serious consequences because here in Japan, police accountability is a thing, at least in situations like this.

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That's the biggest question. It probably depends on how big the public reaction is. Otherwise they'll probably get a pass.