Police Aviation Units

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Aviation Unit’s Agusta-Bell AB139 is
normally based at Tokyo Heliport. The aircraft is seen here at the unit’s other
base, the JGSDF’s Tachikawa Army Camp.

The December 1959 issue of Aireview reported that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Board would be the first to receive aircraft by the end of that year. Two crews were then in training to operate the Kawasaki-built Bell 47G, which was said to have cost 18 million yen. All 47 of Japan’s prefectural-level administrations now operate helicopters in support of their police forces.

This section will ultimately provide information about the aircraft, personnel, and operations of these units. For the time being, tables listing the aircraft operated by each police aviation unit have been added below. Interspersed with a growing number of photographs, the subjects of which appear in bold type, these tables will eventually be moved to a separate Data File page.

The latest addition to the Kanagawa force and a new type in Japanese police service is this
Airbus Industries H160. (Photo [Nov. 2024]: すくいぶるー via X @shonan787)

Pre-flight scenes show (above) the since retired Nagano Prefectural Police AS365N3 and
(below) the Aichi A109E at their respective Matsumoto and Nagoya airport bases.
(Photos: [Top] 瑠菜 via Twitter @ja97na_0412;
[above] てっちゃん via Twitter @aichi_mof_vol via Twitter @ae01152751)

Not surprisingly, Japanese police force helicopters do not share the flamboyant colour schemes of their counterparts in prefectural fire and disaster relief units. Aside from the titling to indicate by which prefecture they are operated and individual aircraft names, police helicopters are clad in variations of a uniform blue “uniform” and wrapped in a high-visibility dayglo stripe. Standard markings consist of a Japanese national flag on either side of the engine housing and a floral Order of the Rising Sun marking, which in gold forms part of the National Police Agency’s badge, wherever space will allow on either side of the tail or fuselage. The Niigata force (q.v.) seems alone in having applied badges to its aircraft. 

An unmarked AS365 undergoes pre-delivery flight testing at the Airbus Helicopters Japan facility
 in Kobe. At the end of March 2015, three H155 (formerly designated EC155) and six AS365
helicopters were in service with prefectural police units. In June 2020, the National Police
Agency was operating 12 H135, four H155 and still six AS365 helicopters.
(Photo: Airbus Helicopters Japan/Chikako Hirano)  

Please note that the In Service Date(s) are based on registration/cancellation data and are for guidance purposes only. For example, although the Yamagata Prefectural Police Agusta A109E JA80GT was registered in December 2007, the aircraft commenced operational service in February 2008.

(All photographs on this website are copyright J-HangarSpace
unless otherwise stated.) 

All of the Aichi unit’s helicopters have been given names related to the sunrise: akebono and akatsuki both mean dawn or daybreak; asayake means morning glow.

A109E Akatsuki (Photo [Mar. 2018]: もりかわ via Twitter @Mkrm_DDG)

Taxying in the hover at Takamatsu Airport, Kagawa Prefecture, in early September 2021 is
the Bell 412EP operated by Aichi Prefectural Police. This aircraft is equipped for
Special Assault Team (SAT) anti-terrorism operations. Note the lack of a dayglo
 fuselage stripe. (Photo: だいきち via Twitter @DAISAN87922175)

Aichi Police BK117C-1 JA6816 parked at its Nagoya Airport home base in August 2013.
(Photo: Alec Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

A pre-departure ceremony concluded, the crew of BK117C-2 JA11AP prepares to depart on a
patrol of local sections the Tomei Expressway, which connects Tokyo and Nagoya. Involving
a higher profile police presence and stiffer penalties, a new initiative was intended to
improve driver behaviour and thus traffic safety.
(Photo [Oct. 2019]: 愛知県警察広報 via Twitter @AP_KOUHOU)

This unit’s BK117C-1 carries the name Yamadori (Copper Pheasant), the official bird of
Akita Prefecture. (Photo [Mar. 2021]: KJ via Twitter @JA10GR_JA10GP)

The Bell 206B formerly operated by Akita Police is now used as an instructional airframe by the
Japan Aviation Academy Wajima (JAAW) in its hangar at Noto Airport, Ishikawa Prefecture.
(Photo courtesy Masayuki Sakamoto, JAAW)

The whooper swan was adopted as the official bird symbol of Aomori Prefecture in 1964,
and its police helicopters have both borne the hiragana characters for
hakuchou, the equivalent Japanese word.
(Photo [by Chofu Spotter Aria, posted Sept. 2013]: ゆりっぺ via Twitter @MisatoTachibana)

Replaced in 2016, the original Katori 3 is seen here in flight in January 2010. All the Chiba
unit’s aircraft are named after the shrine city of Katori in the north of the prefecture.
(Photo: Kentaro Iemoto via Wikimedia Commons)

Added to the helicopter ranks of the Chiba Prefectural Police Aviation Unit in 2011 was
AgustaWestland AW139 Katori 1. 

Although the first Ehime Prefectural Police helicopter was named Iyo after a city in central Ehime,
its two successors have both been named Ishizuchi after a sacred peak in the prefecture.
(Photo [Mar. 2018]: もりかわ via Twitter @Mrkm_DG)

Named Kuzuryuu after a river and lake in the prefecture, the Fukui Prefectural Police
EC135T2+ passes in front of the Doctor-Heli hangar at Fukui Airport.
(Photo [posted Apr. 2021]: Y. Kazuho via Twitter @FgZUHO)

First registered to manufacturer Airbus Helicopters in April 2021, the Fukuoka Police H225
Fukutaka (‘Hawk of Good Fortune’) was used for crew training throughout the rest of that 
year before joining the ranks. (Photo [posted July 2021]: テルル via Twitter @TF_435Sqn)

Fukuoka Prefectural Police JA03FP Tobiume (Flying Plum Blossom) at Sendai Airport,
Miyagi Prefecture, in 2018. (Photo: sawakazuair via Twitter @sawakazu_air139)

Fukuoka Police helicopters past and present fleet. (Above) Bell 206L-4 Sachikaze (Fortunate Wind)
and (below) Bell 412EP Tobiume 2, seen at their Fukuoka airport home base in December 2008.

(Photos: Amayagan via Wikimedia Commons)

Displayed in the history corner at the Tokyo Aerospace Show in October 2016, previously Fukuoka-
operated Bell JA7313 is one of five former police helicopters in the Helicopter History
Preservation Association (HHPA) collection kept in Higashi-Matsuyama,
Saitama Prefecture. This machine was added to the collection in 1996.

This photo (link) shows JA7313 during its service career, on the east side of what was then Itazuke AB (now Fukuoka Airport) in July 1970.

Formerly operated by the Fukuoka Prefectural Police Aviation Unit, Fuji-Bell 204B JA9111 is now
used as an instructional airframe by Japan Aviation Academy Wajima (JAAW) at its hangar
at Noto Airport, Ishikawa Prefecture. (Photo courtesy Masayuki Sakamoto, JAAW)

 The Bell 412EP Azuma formerly operated by the Fukushima Prefectural Police Aviation Unit. 
(Photo [October 2010]: “Cp9asngf” via Wikimedia Commons)

The AW139 previously operated by Fukushima Prefectural Police at Hanamaki Airport, Iwate
Prefecture, in December 2017, having brought attendees for a rescue procedures meeting in
the town of Iwaizumi,which had suffered fatalities during a typhoon the previous year.
This aircraft was written off following a non-fatal accident on February 1, 2020.
(Photo: 航空機大好きカメラマン via Twitter @AW139AW169)

The Gifu Police Bell 412EP is named Raichō (Ptarmigan).
(Photo [Oct. 2021]: TAGU via Twitter @tagu_arw)

Gunma Police AgustaWestland A109E Power JA01GP Akagi

The Hiroshima Prefectural Police AS365N3+ Miyajima 1 helps to mount security during the
passage of the Olympic Games torch relay in April 2021. (Photo: MOR1 via Twitter @anm10w3079)

This photo from December 1980 (link) shows JA7458 Soyokaze (Gentle Breeze or Zephyr).

This August 1985 photo (link) shows JA9142 Miyajima 1 with the Yamanashi Police Bell 222 at Takasaki Heliport, Gunma Prefecture. Both had been drafted in to assist in the major search operation that followed the Japan Airlines Flight 123 disaster.

The current heavy-lift flagship of the Hokkaido Prefectural Police, AW139 Daisetsu gets airborne
from a snow-covered Okadama in February 2021. The force has traditionally named aircraft
Daisetsu after the group of mountain peaks in Hokkaido’s Daisetsuzan National Park .
(Photo: kazu via Twitter @kazu64236741)

Seen at Okadama in September 2008 were the then newest addition A109E Power (above) and the
EC135P1 (below), named Ginrei 1 and Ginrei 2, respectively. Literally meaning slver bell, the
poetic word ginrei refers to the silver-white snow on the top of a mountain.

(Photos: “100yen” via Wikimedia Commons)

(Above and below) Going back in time to Okadama Airport in October 2007, the force was
then operating two Bell 412EPs, including JA6772. This aircraft’s registration was
cancelled in May 2016. (Photos: “100yen” via Wikimedia Commons)

Still in service late in 2021, sister aircraft Daisetsu 3 parked in front of the Hokkaido Police hangar
at Okadama in September 2008. (Photo: “100yen” via Wikimedia Commons)

Former Hokkaido Police Bell 47G JA7375 was still on display in a semi-disassembled state at the Sapporo Science Center in October 2021 (link).

Hokkaido Police’s second Fuji-Bell 204B JA9095 at Takasaki Airport, Gunma Prefecture, in August (link) and September 1985 (link) in the adftermath of the Japan Airlines Flight 123 disaster.

The S-76B formerly operated by the Hyogo police force during a visit to
Osaka International Airport in April 2010. (Photo: “J o” via Wikimedia Commons)

One of the pair of helicopters currently in police service in Hyogo, the A109E Power is
named Hiyodori (Bulbul). (Photo: Hyogo Prefectural Police Headquarters
Transportation Planning Division via Twitter @HPP_TPD)

Hyogo Police’s initial equipment, the Bell 206B JA9157, in flight at Osaka International Airport in June 1977 (link)

After 12 years’ service with the Kagoshima force, Bell 206B JA9388 was registered with the Hyogo fleet in December 1996. The aircraft is seen here (link) at Osaka International Airport in August 2005.

In the late summer of 2021, the Ibaraki Police unit acquired its first new equipment for
21 years. The H135 (EC135T3) in question was, however, still registered to
Airbus Helicopters for crew training in December 2021.
(Photo [Shizuoka Heliport, Dec. 2021]: TA_KU via Twitter @ta_ku_nkn073)

The first Ibaraki police helicopter to bear the name Hibari (Lark), Bell 206B JA9217 was on static display at JASDF Hyakuri AB in November 1991 (link).

The second Inuwashi (Golden Eagle)
(Photo [posted Jan. 2021]: K. Saito via Twitter @KsaitoHeliPhoto)

The third Inuwashi, Bell 429 JA14PE (Photo [July 2022]: ふとめさん via X @futomesan)

Placed at the Paris Air Show in June 2019, the kick-off order for the SUBARU BELL 412EPX was
 from Iwate Police. Registered to SUBARU from August 2020 and named Ginga (Milky Way),
the aircraft is seen here during flight tests at the Japanese company’s Utsunomiya airfield
on February 17, 2021. The following month, its registration passed to Iwate Police, which
took delivery on May 19, 2021. (Photo: Mizuki via Twitter @JuraMiyabi)

Kagawa Prefectural Police’s H155B1 departs its Takamatsu Airport base in early September 2021.
The ‘U’ in its registration is a reference to udon (thick noodles), a Kagawa speciality,
and the aircraft is even named Sanuki after a type of udon.
(Photo: だいきち via Twitter @DAISAN87922175)

The second-generation Sanuki commenced operations with the Kagawa Prefectural Police in 1996.
This photo was taken at Kounan Airport, Okayama Prefecture, in February 2017, the year in
which this aircraft was retired from service. (Photo: YUKIHIDE via Twitter @RJBK_spotter)

The Kagoshima Police AW139’s Hayato name is that of one of the force’s mascots, which in 2019
appeared as the hero in a TV detective drama series. (Photo: かねやん via Twitter @AURIS_414)

This photo (link) of Bell 412EP Hayato overflying its Kagoshima Airport base was taken in early December 2015. At that time its replacement, imported by Mitsui Bussan, was already coming to the end of its test flight programme. 

JA6771 at Kanoya in May 1996 (Photo: Takao Kadokami)

August 18, 1992. The then Kanagawa Prefectural Police Bell Model 222 helicopter flies over 
the port at Yokosuka. Moored in the background are the JMSDF destroyers
Yūgiri (DD-153), Amagiri (DD-154) and Setogiri (DD-156).
(Photo: U.S. National Archives/U.S. Navy PH2 Stephen Cook)

The second Kanagawa police helicopter to bear the name Hamakaze (Beach Wind), Bell 206 JA6173 is seen here (link) at Niigata Airport in June 2003 and here (link) shortly before its retirement at Yokohama Heliport in May 2014.

The former Kanagawa Prefectural Police BK117B-2 Ooyama, August 2014
(Photo: “Mj-bird” via Wikimedia Commons)

Part of the increased number of police air traffic movements caused by the holding of a G20
summit in Osaka in November 2019, the Kanagawa Police AS365N3 visited Nagoya Airport.
The aircraft’s Tanzawa name is that of a mountain range in the northwest of the prefecture.
(Photo: TOMOYA via Twitter @syouwa2pc)

The Kanagawa Police BK117C-2 was an immaculate static display visitor to the
Tateyama Helicopter Festival in July 2022. (Photo: Yamaro via Twitter @Noct_Nikkor)

Newcomer to the Kanagawa Police fleet, Airbus Helicopters H160 JA24KP at Yokohama Heliport
in November 2024. (Photo: アスロック via X @mizukiMk112)

Representative of an earlier generation type that enjoyed popularity with Japanese police forces,
Bell 206L-4 JA07KP remains in service with Kanagawa Police. This photo was taken during a
post-maintenance test flight at Nagoya in late October 2021. The registration of
sister aircraft JA6173 (see Part 1) had been cancelled in July 2014.
(Photo: しだーぱむぱむ via Twitter @EPSHV)

Both Kochi Prefectural Police helicopters have carried the name Kuroshio (Black Ocean
Current), as this natural phenomenon passes off the coast of the prefecture.
(Photo: しだーぱむぱむ via Twitter @EPSHV)

The registration of Kochi’s Bell 206L-3 was cancelled in November 2011 and the aircraft passed to 
the Japan Coast Guard School at Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, for use as an instructional airframe.
The aircraft was still present opposite a car park there in October 2018; this photo (link)
shows the aircraft in its prime, at Shizuoka Heliport in December 2010.

Carrying on the tradition of being named Ooaso after the “mighty” Mt. Aso, the Kumamoto Police
H135 is seen here at Matsuyama Airport, Ehime Prefecture, in November 2020.
(Photo: でち公 via Twitter @dechi_kooo)

Used for recruitment purposes, this fine air-to-air study of the Kyoto Police A109E accompanied the
announcement of the exam schedule for prospective helicopter maintenance engineers in April 
2020. The second of the two kanji that together make up Kyoto, the aircraft’s name
Miyako literally means capital, the function that Kyoto served up until 1868.
(Photo: Kyoto Prefectural Police via Twitter @KPP_saiyo)

Featuring the A109E, Kyoto Police posted a video about their operations on
YouTube in February 2022 (link)

Like its two predecessor Bell 206Bs, the Kyoto Police BK117C-1 was named Heian after the
 landmark shrine in the city of Kyoto. The name was passed to a BK117D-3 (below) in 2024.
(Photos [taken at Nagoya Airport, via Twitter/X]: [Top, Jan. 2020]: TOMOYA @syouwa2pc);
(above, Apr. 2024) kazu @kazu26927450)

In service with the Kyoto Prefectural Police for only two years in the mid-1990s, Heian 2 is
now a star attraction at Gunma Heliport’s educational resource centre.

One of two A109Es currently in service with Mie Prefectural Police, Ise was on display at JGSDF
Akeno Army Camp in November 2010. The location of an important Shinto shrine, the city of
Ise lies in central Mie Prefecture. (Photo: Xjm91587 via Wikimedia Commons)

Bell 206L-3 LongRanger JA9778 (Photo [undated]: むいむい via Twitter @R1ffP1w1aX1b7BA)

Having previously served with the Kagawa force for 10 years from 1988, JA9778 spent the rest of its police career in Mie. This additional photo (link) shows Suzuka (the name of a mountain range and city in Mie) at Yao Airport in November 2005.

Named Matsushima, the Miyagi Prefectural Police AW139 visited JGSDF Kasuminome in
April 2018 for the event that marked the 61st anniversary of the garrison’s establishment.
 (Photo: 抹茶猫 via Twitter @matchaneco)

The Miyagi Police A109E Kurikoma takes its name from the mountain that straddles
three prefectural borders in the Tohoku region.
(Photo: East Japan Air Technical School via Twitter @ejair_jc21)

For more than 30 years, Miyagi remained a loyal Bell operator, as exemplified by 206L-4 Aoba (Green Leaves) at Niigata Airport on September 2008 (link) and 412EP Matsushima at its Kasuminome home base in May 2012 (link).

The above still from a YouTube video (link) shows the Miyazaki Police EC135T2+ during the
disaster preparedness training exercise that was held at the Ikinomori Park in the
city of Miyazaki in December 2013.

The Miyazaki police aircraft name is taken from an ancient legend, from the time when what is today Miyazaki Prefecture was known as Hyuga (“land that faces the sun”), which can also be read as Himuka.

As they spend a high percentage of their time over mountainous areas, Nagano Police
helicopters have traditionally been named Yamabiko (Echo). These two photos show
Yamabiko 1, which was introduced as the second aircraft to carry the name in March
2002. It was in May 2013 that the 1,000th person was rescued using this aircraft.
(Photos: [Top, posted Aug. 2021] 瑠菜 via Twitter @ja97na_0412);
[above, posted May 2019] お肉はウェルダン via Twitter @Gigoku_Tensi)

Yamabiko 2 in action in December 2020. The unit passed the 10,000 accident-free flying hours
milestone in February 2003 and 15,000 hours in August 2010, in the year of the
30th anniversary of its formation. (Photo: ケロー via Twitter @kero56)

Two months after having been registered to Leonardo distributor Mitsui Bussan Aerospace, the latest
Nagoya recruit JA01EE undergoes flight testing at Nagoya in July 2022. Already named
Yamabiko 1, the 61 in the window is the last two of its construction number.
(Photo: アスロックミズキ via Twitter @mizukiyamato10)

The Bell 429 of the sole police operator sits in a car park alongside standard and unmarked patrol
cars. Following highly publicized fatal incidents of tailgating on highways in Japan, these assets
are operated in conjunction with those of neighbouring Saga Prefecture not only in watching out
for drivers committing the offence but also in promoting awareness of its dangers and penalties.
(Photo: Nagasaki Prefectural Police Traffic Department via Twitter @NPP_kikaku)

JA9218 at JMSDF Omura, May 1990 (Photo: Takao Kadokami)

Just for the police record, JA6114 at JMSDF Omura, May 1993 (Photo: Takao Kadokami)

The above still from a YouTube video (link) shows the Nara Police A109E’s
arrival at its home heliport in March 2011.

The name adopted for Nara police helicopters, Asuka is a district in the prefecture that is regarded as the birthplace of the Japanese state and the wellspring of Japanese culture.

Niigata Prefectural Police A109E Power Yukikaze (literally Snow Wind) overflies Niigata Airport
in January 2013. (Photo: “Cp9asngf” via Wikimedia Commons)

The arrival of the A109E signalled the end of the 21-year police career of Bell 412 JA6711.
(Photo: “Cp9asngf” via Wikimedia Commons)

The Bell 412EP Tokikaze (Crested Ibis Wind) swoops over Niigata Airport in May 2012. Having
adopted the crested ibis as its official bird symbol, Niigata is the centre of a breeding
programme that has been reintroducing this endangered species into the wild.
(Photo: “Cp9asngf” via Wikimedia Commons)

For publicity and recruitment purposes, each prefectural police forces has adopted a cartoon mascot, which are often incongruously much in evidence behind officials at press conferences even for serious crimes. Their designs often based on local produce, those of Niigata’s brother-sister pair are based on grains of rice, as the Koshihikari variety enjoys immense popularity.

In a departure from the norm, the cockpit doors of Niigata Prefectural Police helicopters carry badges that depict a saluting Hikaru-kun (below), the brother of the cartoon mascots adopted in the 1990s. This initial version appeared on Bell 412 JA6711 throughout the 2000s and was carried over to A109E JA02NP.

AW139 JA13NP had a skiing Hikaru-kun badge applied beneath the forward cabin window aft of the fuselage dayglo stripe upon its entry into service in the spring of 2014. Bell 412EP JA01NP’s door badge design was switched from a saluting to a skiing Hikaru-kun at around the same time.

(Hikaru-kun images: Niigata Prefectural Police)

The Niigata Police released a four-minute video on YouTube (link), featuring the AW139, in February 2021.

Seen on a visit to Fukuoka Airport in December 2008, Bell 206L-3 JA9715 was replaced by an
A109E Power the following year. (Photo: Amayagan via Wikimedia Commons)

Oita Police’s current equipment is this A109E Power, seen here at an Aviation Day event at Oita
Airport  in September 2014. Like its predecessor, the aircraft is named Bungo, the former
provincial name of what is today Oita Prefecture. This historic name survives in
the Bungo Channel that separates Oita Prefecture on Kyushu from
Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku. (Photo: Takao Kadokami)

JA971V during its flying display at the Oita Airport Aviation Day event, September 2014
(Photos: Takao Kadokami)

Close-up of data-link equipment fitted to JA971V (Photo: Takao Kadokami)

JA9715 at Oita Airport, September 1994 (above) and January 1999 
(Photos: Takao Kadokami)

The Okayama police helicopter is another that is named after a mountain;
Mt. Washu is located 20 km south of Kurashiki.
(Photo [Shizuoka Heliport, Mar. 2021]: TA_KU via Twitter @ta_ku_nkn073)

Okinawa’s first state-of-the-art police helicopter in 20 years, AW139 Shimamori undergoes flight
testing at Kagoshima Airport late in 2020. The commissioning ceremony for the aircraft, which
was still lacking a dayglo orange fuselage band, was held in a hangar at Naha Airport on
April 16, 2021. Its name is taken from the Shimamori Tower, a memorial built in 1951 to
honour Akira Shimada, the last wartime governor of Okinawa, and 453 officials.
(Photo: MOR1 via Twitter @anm10w3079)

The Okinawa Police crew flying Nanpū (Southerly Wind) makes a refueling stop at
Tanegashima Airport in November 2017. (Photo: RZ Makise via Twitter @makkisse999)

Having entered service with Osaka Police in 1995 to 2014, AS365N2 Hayakaze is seen (above) at
Kansai International Airport in November 2008 and (below) at Yao Airport the following month. 
Following the arrival of the second AW139, this aircraft’s registration was cancelled in mid-2014.(Photos: [Top] Alex Wilson via Wikimedia Commons; [above, from close to a reservoir alongside the
north end of Runway B at Yao] “J o” via Wikimedia Commons)

Also no longer in service, AS332L1 Oowashi is seen here at Yao airport in October 2009.
The photo was taken from the path outside the airport, on the south side of Runway A.
(Photo: “J o” via Wikimedia Commons)

The Osaka Police Bell 206L-4 JA6171 Tsubasa (Wing) was another aircraft disposed of to make
way for new equipment, in its case in 2014. (Photo [at Yao Airport]: rekio via Twitter @rekio828)

Photos from earlier days in Osaka Prefectural Police helicopter operations:
Kawasaki-Bell 47G-2 JA7353 (link) and Bell 206B JetRanger II JA9103 (link) in the hangar at Yao Airport in November 1978.
Acquired in 1998, JA7353 is one the five former police helicopters in the Helicopter History Preservation Association (HHPA) collection kept in Higashi-Matsuyama, Saitama Prefecture.
Fuji-Bell 204B JA9085 (link) in the hangar at Yao Airport in December 1980

JA6868 Maishima (the name of an artificial island off the Port of Osaka) takes part in a training
exercise with helicopters from other disaster response services in Kaizuka, Osaka Prefecture, in
December 2017. (Photo: 急行205系統 via Twitter @kc1788)

JA6803 Chihaya (named after a local village, the site of 14th century castle ruins) at
Yao Airport in June 2021 (Photo: Wingtip Sonic via Twitter @WingtipSonic)

JA6956 Sennari (the name of a district in the city of Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture) during touch and
go training at Yao Airport in May 2021 (Photo: O.Y via Twitter @LHMD11F_Forever)

JA6196 Oowashi (Steller’s Sea Eagle) at Nagoya Airport, Aichi Prefecture, in March 2019
(Photo: Alan Wilson via Wikimedia Commons)

The second of Osaka’s pair of police AW139s, Hayakaze (Fast Wind) entered service in 2014.
(Photo [Jan. 2020]: rekio via Twitter @rekio828)

Both taken at Yao Airport, YouTube videos exist of JA10PD starting up and departing in December 2020 (link) and of JA6803 landing at sundown in December 2021 (link).

Both helicopters operated by the Saga Prefectural Police have borne the name Kasasagi (Magpie).
The first was this Bell 206L-3 acquired from Canada in 1991 and replaced by an
AW109SP in the course of 2013. (Photo: Amayagan via Wikimedia Commons)

The current Kasasagi, a long way from home at Gunma Heliport in January 2022
(Photo: KJ via Twitter @JA10GR_JA01GP)

The Saitama Police BK117C-1 parked at a wet Iruma AB in November 2000, a few months after
its entry into service.

EC135P2+ Sakitama (the old name for what is now Saitama) at Tokyo Heliport in March 2019
(Photo: なぎさ via Twitter @KatanoNagisa)

A109E Power JA323N Mitsumine at Gunma Heliport in June 2019. The aircraft’s name is that of
a mountain and shrine in Saitama Prefecture’s Chichibu region. The wolf statues at the shrine
were once venerated and thought to protect people from burglars and fire.
(Photo: KJ via Twitter @JA10GR_JA10GP)

BK117D-3 JA634P on the day of the Iruma AB Runway Walk event, June 2024;
see Bulletin Board story. (Photo: 過眠 via X @PA_32R_301T)

The Shiga Police A109E Ibuki takes its name from that of a local mountain.
(Photo: アユザック via Twitter @Ayuzak17)

Shimane’s A109E Chidori (Plover) when on a visit to Shizuoka Heliport in October 2020
(Photo: TA_KU via Twitter @ta_ku_nkn073)

A YouTube video from September 2021 shows the Shimane A109E during its start-up procedures and departure from Nara Heliport (link).

Shizuoka Prefcetural Police AS365N3 Fuji 2 at JASDF Shizuhama AB, May 2012

Fuji 3 (Photo [Oct. 2018]: via Twitter @spci61)

The following four photos provide an interesting walkround of the former Shizuoka Prefectural Police
Bell 206B. The aircraft is now used as an instructional airframe by Japan Aviation Academy Wajima
(JAAW) at its hangar at Noto Airport, Ishikawa Prefecture.
(Photos courtesy Masayuki Sakamoto, JAAW)

Named Nantai after a local mountain, the then Tochigi Police BK-117C-1 is seen at
its home base in May 2013.

(Photo [Mar. 2023]: KJ via Twitter @JA10GR01GP223Y)

Tokushima Police’s EC135T2+ Shirasagi (White Heron) was one of the helicopters that assisted in
providing security at the meeting of G7 telecommunications ministers held in Takamatsu,
Kagawa Prefecture, in May 2016. (Photo: みいさん via Twitter @miisanndesu)

JA7047 Harukaze 1is displayed in the museum within the
Tokyo Metropolitan Police PR Center, Tokyo.
(Photo [Feb. 2018]: 江戸村のとくぞう via Wikimedia Commons)

The above image was taken from an undated YouTube video (link) that shows rare footage of
KV-107IIA-17 JA9511 Oozora departing Tokyo Heliport; a clearer image from the
same location in January 1990 can be found here (link).

Just visible in the background of this February 2015 photo sits JA9023 Ootori 1, which
has been kept at the Arakawa Campus of the Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial
Technology. A ground level view from September 2020 can be found here (link).
(Photo: ユキカゼ via Twitter @NAVY_ICHIHO)

The first Bell 206B to enter service with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force (TMPF), JA9094 Hayabusa 2 at Tokyo Heliport in February 1983 (link) and at the 2nd Helicopter Air Show held there in April 1988 (link).

The first Bell 412 to enter service with the TMPF, JA9602 Ootori 1 (above) at Tokyo Heliport in
February 1989 and at JGSDF Kisarazu in November 1998 (link). (Photo: Takao Kadokami)

The sole AS365N operated, JA9648 Ootori 4 at Tokyo Heliport, December 2003 (link).

First registered with the TMPD’s Aviation Unit in March 1999 and retired in mid-2018,
AgustaWestland EH-101 JA01MP Oozora (The Heavens) 1 was placed on display at 
the Aichi Museum of Flight at Nagoya Airport (below) in February 2019.
(Photos: [Top, JGSDF Kisarazu Nov. 2002] J-HangarSpace;
[above, undated] むいむい via Twitter @R1ffP1w1aX1b7BA)

The Tokyo force’s third and newest AW139 (above) and its S-92 (below) were both retired from
service on April 28, 2020. They had been damaged beyond economic repair by a typhoon
in October 2019 while undergoing maintenance at Aero Asahi’s facility in Kawagoe,
Saitama Prefecture. The sole example of the type in Japan, the S-92 had originally
been registered to Mitsubishi Corporation in November 2011.
(Photos: Lien via Twitter @roomskyguard)

DISPOSAL DETECTIVE WORK

Tokyo’s above-mentioned S-92 JA02MP arrived at the VIH Aerospace facility in Victoria, Canada, in April 2021 (link) and was still present the following month (link). The aircraft has been registered to the VIH Aviation Group as C-GVIY.

Before and after. Sold to the Chinese Zhuhai Yifei aviation company in 2017, as featured in this
corporate video (link), the former JA6786 retains its Tokyo police colour scheme. (Photos [undated]: [Top] むいむい via Twitter @R1ffP1w1aX1b7BA);
[above] JChin via Twitter @jeffie_chin)

After 24 years’ service with the Tokyo force from 1988 (link) to 2012, the ownership of 
JA9768 eventually changed to Aero Asahi in 2014, by which time the aircraft
had been stripped of its “uniform”. (Photos: [Top, Tokyo Heliport, Feb. 1989] Takao Kadokami;
[above] Yao Airport, July 2021]: ヘリ三昧 via Twitter @MH53E_Seadragon)

 
(Above and below) Two shots of TMPD AB139 Ootori 4 departing Tokyo Heliport in June 2010.
They were taken from Shin-Kiba Rokudo Park, which is located directly to the east of the heliport. 

(Photos: “J o” via Wikimedia Commons)

Not surprisingly, the TMPD started the trend of operating the AgustaWestland AW139.
Many of the Tokyo force’s helicopters are named Ootori after a legendary bird.

H155 (EC155B1) JA15MP Ootori 5 (Photo [Mar. 2019]: BriYYZ via Wikimedia Commons)

Present at the Tachikawa airshow in September 2007 was Hayabusa 4, the TMPD’s sole
A109E Power. (Photo: “Ypy31” via Wikimedia Commons)

Tokyo Police helicopters on the beat, two by two. (Above) JA32MP Hayabusa 2 with
JA13MP Ootori 3 in hot pursuit; (below) Hayabusa 2 again with JA17MP Ootori 7,
which was retired in autumn 2024.
(Photos via Twitter/X: [Top, Tachikawa, Oct. 2022] なぎさ @KatanoNagisa;
[above, Oct. 2018] stone @stone15DJ)

The colour scheme the two Tokyo A109W Trekkers represents something of a departure from the
staid uniform norm. At the time of their order, which was announced in mid-2016, these were
the first of the type to be destined for a law enforcement agency in Asia.
(Photo: TA_KU via Twitter @ta_ku_nkn703)

EC135T2+ JA32MP Hayabusa 2 (Photo [May 2020]: きりしま via Twitter @katori93cp)

Registered initially to Airbus Helicopters from June 2020, the most recent heavy-lift addition to
the Tokyo fleet, H215 JA03MP Oozora 5, officially joined the ranks in January 2021.
(Photo: ゴン太なパン職人目指す人。via Twitter @BT_heli02)

Ultimately Tokyo-bound SUBARU-Bell 412EPX JA19MP is seen before donning its uniform during
 flight testing at Utsunomiya. (Photo [July 1, 2022]: なぎさvia Twitter @KatanoNagisa)  

The registration of Bell 412EP JA17MP was cancelled in October 2024, leaving only
JA18MP in service with the TMPD.

Morning flight preparations get under way in front of the TMPD hangar at Tachikawa in
November 2013. On the left is the unit’s Eurocopter EC135T2+ that arrived in late 2012,
on the right the same now retired Bell 412EP as illustrated above.

Named Sakyū (Sand Dunes) after one of Tottori’s most famous landmarks, the prefecture’s
A109SP police helicopter is taken on a test flight after undergoing maintenance at
Shizuoka Heliport in November 2020. (Photo: TA_KU via Twitter @ta_ku_nkn073)

The first police helicopter operated in Tottori, JA6099 parked at Namki-Shirahama Airport, Wakayama Prefecture, in September 2011 (link).

The police in Toyama Prefecture are one of 10 forces that currently have an AW139 at their
disposal. The aircraft is seen here at Hanamaki Airport, Iwate Prefecture, in December 2017.
(Photo: 航空機大好きカメラマン via Twitter@AW139AW169)

Toyama Prefecture’s AW139 during its demonstration flight at the helicopter event held annually
at the Crossland Oyabe park complex. (Photo [Aug. 2024]: ぶろ via X @pro_drive_2008)

The registration of Wakayama Prefectural Police BK117B-2 JA6808 was cancelled after 21 years
in October 2019. (Photo [2017]: Sea Side Beridox via Twitter @beridox_tape)

JA03WP gets airborne at its Nanki-Shirahama Airport base in January 2020. Kinokuni was the
name of the ancient province that formed part of today’s Wakayama Prefecture.
(Photo: むいむい via Twitter @R1ffP1w1aX1b7BA)

 Yamagata Police A109E Power Gassan, photographed in May 2008, three months after its
service entry. (Photo: contri via Wikimedia Commons) 

Ube Airport, June 2019. The Yamaguchi Prefectural Police A109E passes the Aero Asahi BK117C-2
JA6925 then being operated in the Doctor-Heli network for Yamaguchi University Hospital. Both
aircraft were taking part in a training exercise alongside the Yamaguchi and Hiroshima
disaster relief aviation units. (Photo: れんし via Twitter @Kirara21YA)

With Mt. Fuji serving as a perfect backdrop, Yamanashi Prefectural Police Bell 412EP Hayate
departs the force’s heliport. (Photo [Dec. 2019]: なぎさ via Twitter @KatanoNagisa)

**********************************

From left to right, the AW139s operated by the Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido police forces parked at
Naha Airport, Okinawa Prefecture, in August 2017. (Photo: zapporo via Twitter @zakogumo)

The scene outside the Hokkaido Prefectural Police Aviation Unit hangar at Okadama on
September 11, 2018. The occasion was a ceremony to bid farewell to members of sister
units drafted in as reinforcements in the aftermath of an earthquake that had struck
the Iburi region five days before. The A109E is that of the Fukushima police force.
(Photo: CJ via Twitter @armingarea1836)

The hangar of the Kagawa Prefectural Police Aviation Unit (right) is located next to that of the
prefecture’s fire and disaster prevention operations in a corner of Takamatsu Airport.
(Photo [Mar. 2019]: [ハマーチャンネル] ハマー via Twitter @jr8600kei)