Is the Japanese police force truly on the side of justice ?
~ Are they in step with the old media ? ~
We have often posted that many Japanese TV stations and newspapers are mockingly called “old media.”
However, in recent years, there have been cases where the response to crime by the police seems to prioritize political ideology over justice.
As some of you may remember, there was an unintended acceleration crash in Ikebukuro that claimed the lives of a mother and her child.
Despite the loss of two precious lives in this crash, the driver who caused the accident was not immediately arrested.
While drivers are often arrested immediately in similar accidents, this driver was not arrested. Since he was the former president of the National Institute of Agency of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) under the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), there was widespread criticism that “privileged citizens” receive preferential treatment.
We believed that the police’s decision at the time was based on his age and the low risk of him absconding to avoid arrest.
However, an incident has occurred that makes us think that assumption was wrong.
It is the Henoko capsizing accident that the old media has been avoiding coverage of.
What is terrifying about this incident is that it makes us feel there is significant bias on the part of the authorities, such as the local government and the police.
Around the same time, the “high school club bus accident” that claimed the lives of precious high school students like the Henoko capsizing incident was making headlines in the old media.
The old media is reporting on the “high school club bus accident” as if it were their sacred duty. Of course, they are also reporting in detail on the bus company and the driver responsible for the accident.
The way they’re covering it feels as though they’re consigning the Henoko capsizing incident to oblivion.
The old media has been advocating for the “importance of life”, but it has become clear that it was all just hypocrisy.
In other words, it seems the old media is arguing that protecting left-wing activists who share their ideology is their most important journalistic priority.
It seems they have only begun reporting on the matter after the bereaved families began sharing their heartbreaking stories, yet they appear to be intentionally shifting the focus.
Additionally, as if trampling on the families’ feelings, they are criticizing the Ministry of Education that ruled Doshisha International High School’s guidance violated “political neutrality,” claiming it will cause the education field to become timid.
Frankly, the old media can no longer be called the mass media; they are essentially left-wing activist groups.
What has become clear is that the old media is no longer necessary.
The problem is that the police handled the two incident completely differently.
It’s as if they’re on the same page with the old media.
One side uses the phrase “the power of the pen” to engage in “reporting based on left-wing political ideology,” while the other exercises “state power based on left-wing political ideology.”
The police response to the high school club bus accident was the exact opposite of that in the Henoko capsizing incident, with the driver being arrested immediately.
Given the strong political bias of the old media, it is impossible to understand the circumstances surrounding the Henoko capsizing incident.
Since the Henoko capsizing incident occurred, have the police and local government been taking proactive action ?
This is a maritime incident, so cooperation with the Japan Coast Guard may be necessary.
However, in the case where a security guard died while trying to stop activist who attempted to run in front of a dump truck, is the police responding proactively ?
Incredibly, news reports have emerged that the activist who attempted to run in front of the dump truck has lawsuit the dump truck’s owner and the security company.
If this lawsuit is successful, it would mean that the judiciary and the police have officially recognized “deliberately running into the road” and “obstructing a vehicle’s path” as justified actions.
However, even if these incidents have occurred, what is the status of the “tents set up on the road serving as a base for the Henoko relocation opposition activities” that are said to be in violation of the law ?
Did the police actually retroactively approve the “tents set up on the road” ?
It would be extremely terrifying if even Japan’s judicial and governmental branches shared the same ideology as left-wing activists.
If the police still have any sense of justice remaining, they should bring closure to the bereaved families.
And they must achieve this transparently for the public to witnesses.
Reference: Toyo Keizai (2026/05/14)
https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/457981
https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/381754
Reference: RKK (2026./05/12)
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/rkk/2609280
Reference: NIKKEI (2026./05/24)
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUD220K80S6A520C2000000
Reference: THE SANKEI SHINBUN (2026/05/07)
https://www.sankei.com/article/20250628-X2QK7N2A5BOE7HN2XWPZ6G4AZI
https://www.sankei.com/article/20250803-2RGO2DJ2FNOONJCHRBPCGECK4E
https://www.sankei.com/article/20251008-PBYS5RATVZMQHIY5UTNOZSJXII
Reference: YOMIURI SHINBUN (2026/05/12)
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20260507-GYT1T00357
Thanks.
2026/06/08