Yamanashi Prefectural Police headquarters (Mainichi/Ryotaro Ikawa)

       KOFU -- Yamanashi Prefectural Police sent papers on a traffic department superintendent to prosecutors on Dec. 8 for allegedly ordering a subordinate to lie for him to avoid a speeding ticket.

       The superintendent in his 50s was on duty when the unmarked police car he was driving was pulled over for speeding at around 11 a.m. on Sept. 27 in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture. He allegedly then made his subordinate, who was in the car with him, tell the other officer that they were pursuing someone for a traffic violation, which was untrue.

       The prefectural police sent papers on the superintendent to the Kofu District Public Prosecutors Office on suspicion of soliciting aid for a criminal to avoid capture. The force also suspended him from duty for a month. He resigned on the same day.

       While the prefectural police have not disclosed his unit affiliation and name, a source close to the police said he was the chief of a mobile traffic unit.

       According to the prefectural police's inspection division and other sources, the superintendent was driving the unmarked car 85 kilometers per hour in a 60 kph zone on National Route 20. He slowed down after being told to stop by an officer from the prefectural police's Kusakabe Police Station, but he allegedly then told the assistant police inspector with him to flash the car's red lights and say that they were policing a traffic offense. The superintendent is also suspected of abetting his subordinate's actions to help him avoid capture by driving away.

       The incident emerged after Kusakabe Police Station reported it to prefectural police headquarters. It occurred during a nationwide traffic safety campaign between Sept. 21 and 30. The superintendent was quoted as explaining, "It would set a bad example if police, who are in the role of cracking down (on traffic offenses), violated speed limits." He added, "I'm very sorry." He said he was driving the car himself to "show proactiveness" to his subordinate.

       The prefectural police also sent papers on the assistant police inspector to prosecutors on suspicion of hiding a criminal, and the prefectural police chief gave him a warning. Masaaki Oizumi, the prefectural director of police administration released a comment that said, "We will thoroughly instruct and educate employees and strive to prevent a recurrence."

       (Japanese original by Keisuke Umeda, Kofu Bureau)

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