TOTTORI (TR) – Tottori Prefectural Police announced on Friday the one-month suspension of an assistant police inspector in his 60s who filed over 2,000 false patrol reports and spent hours consuming manga and videos on his smartphone while on duty, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Apr. 25).
The male officer, assigned to a residential police box (chuzaisho) within the prefecture, was disciplined for a series of severe professional and safety misconducts discovered late last year.
According to police, from January 2024 for a period of about two years, the officer continuously fabricated daily records, claiming to have conducted neighborhood patrols that never took place. The total number of falsified reports reached approximately 2,000.
Additionally, between August 2024 and December 2025, he used his personal smartphone to watch videos and read manga for at least 16 hours during his shifts.
The officer’s negligence also extended to a critical safety violation. In December 2025, he left his loaded handgun unattended on a sofa while using the restroom inside the police box.
The string of infractions came to light that same month during a surprise check by the prefectural police’s inspection division. Investigators arrived at the police box to find an “absent” sign hanging outside, despite the officer being inside at the time. This blatant discrepancy prompted a full probe into his daily activities.
During questioning, the officer reportedly explained his behavior by stating, “I didn’t want the people around me to think I wasn’t working.” By putting up the absent sign, he had attempted to create the illusion that he was out actively patrolling the community.
The Tottori Prefectural Police Inspection Division issued a formal apology over the incident, stating, “This is truly regrettable, and we deeply apologize to the citizens of the prefecture.”
