Suzuki Kizashis used as unmarked police cars in Japan

[KuroNekko]

Kuro, this one appears to be the same Kizashi as you referenced here:

Good catch! It's the same plate number.

[KuroNekko]

I was in Japan earlier this month for about a week. During my trip, I came across a junkyard under an elevated freeway, which appeared to be full of damaged and decommissioned government and police vehicles. Given the crashed condition of some cars and the amount of dust accumulating on all of them, it was very evident it was a junkyard. Knowing that Kizashis served as unmarked police cars in Japan, I looked carefully and spotted two Kizashis parked side by side. While they did not look damaged, the Kizashis might have aged out of service or experienced mechanical failure to end up at the junkyard. Sadly, these were the only Kizashis I saw in Japan during my trip and the only other Kizashis I've seen anywhere in a long time.

[KlutzNinja]

Do you think they were CVT or manual Kizashis? I wonder if police didn’t know any better about the JATCO than consumers did at first. I also can’t imagine the JATCO faring well under police use, although maybe Japanese police driving is less severe than American police driving behavior.

[KuroNekko]

Do you think they were CVT or manual Kizashis? I wonder if police didn’t know any better about the JATCO than consumers did at first. I also can’t imagine the JATCO faring well under police use, although maybe Japanese police driving is less severe than American police driving behavior.

I've read that only CVT Kizashis were sold in Japan so I'm sure these were automatics. As for the JATCO issue, I think gov't fleet vehicles get maintained well so I doubt it was a matter of lack of service. From what I know, most Kizashis were used as unmarked police cars so I doubt they saw a lot of severe duty. While I've posted pictures of marked Kizashi police cars, the vast majority of marked police cars for patrol duty I've seen in Japan are Toyota Crowns, as you can see in the photos I took.

[KlutzNinja]

D'oh! Forgot that Japanese Kizashis were CVT-only. Do you think they were all phased out from police duty? Here in America, some areas have kept the Crown Vic for a while, even to this day. Most marked police cars in my city are Ford Interceptors (Explorers), but there are a good number of Crown Vics rolling around, too. Plus some Chevy Tahoes that are about two generations old. I'm wondering how long Japan holds onto its police vehicles. I'm guessing their departments don't get the huge budgets that ours do, and thus can't get the newest cars for police duty on a regular basis.

Also, god forbid they use the new Toyota Crown for police duty lol. Although it's funny how they already come partially black (in the upper trims).

[KuroNekko]

D'oh! Forgot that Japanese Kizashis were CVT-only. Do you think they were all phased out from police duty? Here in America, some areas have kept the Crown Vic for a while, even to this day. Most marked police cars in my city are Ford Interceptors (Explorers), but there are a good number of Crown Vics rolling around, too. Plus some Chevy Tahoes that are about two generations old. I'm wondering how long Japan holds onto its police vehicles. I'm guessing their departments don't get the huge budgets that ours do, and thus can't get the newest cars for police duty on a regular basis.

Also, god forbid they use the new Toyota Crown for police duty lol. Although it's funny how they already come partially black (in the upper trims).

It's hard to say because I don't personally know someone who works in government there but I can tell you policing is very different in Japan. They are far more engaged in community policing and have "police boxes", which are like small police kiosk offices throughout cities and towns. Japan also has a national police in addition to prefectural police. I think the budget for resources like vehicles really depends on this structure. I have seen vehicles ranging from Toyota Crowns to Nissan Versas used as marked police cars in Japan. However, the police are well-known to use unmarked police cars even for traffic enforcement and unlike the US where police utilize specific domestic models, the police in Japan use a much wider range of vehicles. In the case of the Kizashi, it was such a rare car for private ownership that when spotted on the road, it quickly got the reputation of being an unmarked police car.

If you look closely at the photo I posted, you can see some vehicles clearly have a black "X" spray-painted on the hood while others like the Kizashis don't. Perhaps this indicates vehicles that are damaged or mechanically disabled versus those that can still run. I am not certain about Japan but the US police often auction or sell decommissioned police cars with high mileage. I have a feeling Japan does not do this.

[KuroNekko]

I mentioned this in another post but I recently returned from a visit to Japan. On the flights to and from Japan, I typically watch Japanese movies given I don't have much access otherwise when in the US. One of the movies I watched was called "Faceless" in its English title and was about a young man who escapes prison after being convicted of multiple homicide. The movie is a suspense thriller of the man trying to prove his actual innocence while on the run as national police detectives close in on arresting him. The movie apparently sought realism because the detectives drove around in a silver unmarked Suzuki Kizashi in the movie. I managed to take a photo of the screen in the closest shot of the car and it's unmistakably a Kizashi. I thought it was really neat to see the Kizashi in a movie realistically portraying it in unmarked police duty in Japan.

Now that being said, I didn't see any Kizashis in Japan during this trip. However, I did spot a marked Suzuki Swift police car near a police koban, which is a local police box. In Japan, it's common for the local police to occupy these mini sub-stations and they often have small compact cars as their marked police cars for these community policing duties. Meanwhile, most marked patrol cars are older gen Toyota Crowns.

[KlutzNinja]

Awesome find, thanks for sharing. I want to watch the film now, lol. Although I like thrillers anyway.

[KuroNekko]

Awesome find, thanks for sharing. I want to watch the film now, lol. Although I like thrillers anyway.

It was an interesting movie and worth watching, especially if you're into foreign films. The Kizashi makes several appearances in the movie, including some interior and aerial drone shots. I merely captured the shot in which the Kizashi was most obvious. I was pleased to see the film-makers use the Kizashi for its unique realism in unmarked police duty instead of using a more readily available model also used by Japanese detectives.