Kanagawa Police to Void 2,700 Traffic Violations Over Suspicions of Falsified Paperwork

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:52 JST, February 14, 2026

The Kanagawa prefectural police will void about 2,700 traffic violations after doubts emerged over how officers carried out enforcement when citing offenses such as speeding and failing to maintain a safe following distance, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Falsified information was confirmed on traffic tickets and related documents, and the police plan to refer a number of officers to the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office in the coming days on suspicion of preparing and using forged official documents bearing a seal. These officers include a sergeant involved in preparing the paperwork as a member of the second traffic mobile unit.

The police are also proceeding with steps to revoke demerit points and refund traffic fines believed to total more than ¥30 million.

Police departments across Japan have been connected to cases involving procedural lapses and falsified paperwork in traffic enforcement. The recent case is likely to renew scrutiny of how such crackdowns are carried out.

In patrol car and motorcycle enforcement operations in which officers follow a vehicle to ascertain violations such as speeding, accurate measurements are said to require maintaining a fixed distance behind the vehicle for a certain amount of time.

According to investigators, from 2022 to 2024, officers including the sergeant and an inspector who belonged to the same unit are suspected of falsifying information on traffic citation forms when cracking down on violations such as speeding and failing to maintain a safe following distance. Methods included recording the distance they trailed a vehicle in a patrol car as longer than it actually was.

Investigators also suspect that when fines were not paid and the cases moved toward criminal disposition, the officers created on-site inspection reports using falsified information. In some instances, such reports were drafted without going to the location of the supposed offense.

In the police inquiry, the sergeant and other officers reportedly said things like, “I thought it was my job to remove violators [from the road] even if it meant being somewhat forceful,” and, “It was a hassle to go to the site.” Authorities believe the improper enforcement may have been carried out systematically within one squad of the unit, centered on the sergeant.

The sergeant was involved in around 2,700 traffic violation cases from 2022 to 2024. Citing doubts about his enforcement methods, the prefectural police plan to cancel all violations except for a limited portion in which dashcam footage or other evidence clearly confirms the offense. As a result, the police will revoke demerit points and refund the fines.

Among those affected are drivers whose license classification was changed from “excellent driver” to “general driver,” as well as people whose licenses were suspended or revoked, officials said.

The issue came to light after a driver who had been cited for failing to maintain a safe following distance contacted the prefectural police in 2024, prompting an internal investigation, according to officials.

The fourth squad is based in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, and conducts traffic enforcement on routes including the Odawara-Atsugi Road.