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.