News On Japan

Police Probe Attempted Murder After Officer Carried on Hood

OSAKA, Jan 09 (News On Japan) - A car rammed into a police officer during a traffic violation crackdown in Kishiwada, Osaka, on January 7th, with the vehicle continuing to drive while the officer clung to the hood, prompting police to investigate the case as attempted murder.

Footage shows a white car turning right, with a person dressed in dark clothing desperately holding on as if about to be thrown off.

According to police, at around 5:30 p.m. on January 7th an officer conducting traffic enforcement in a shopping arcade in Miyamotocho, Kishiwada, spotted a car driving through the area despite it being a restricted time for vehicle access and ordered the driver to stop.

The driver ignored the instruction, accelerated into the officer, and continued driving for about 700 meters with the officer on the hood before shaking him off and fleeing the scene. The officer suffered bruises and abrasions to both hands and knees.

Police said the driver was a man believed to be in his 50s, and an elderly woman in her 80s was also in the passenger seat, with authorities continuing to search for the fleeing vehicle while pursuing the case as attempted murder.

Source: YOMIURI

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The long-delayed extension of the Hokkaido Shinkansen to Sapporo is facing further setbacks, with the opening now pushed back by more than a decade and total project costs projected to more than double, even as construction steadily advances on the ground.

Water erupted from near the ceiling of an underground passage inside Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station in Chiyoda Ward at around 6:00 p.m. on January 14th, in what the operator believes was caused by a burst water supply pipe.

Hokkaido is set to relax the criteria for issuing its so-called “brown bear alert,” making it possible to release warnings even before human injuries occur, as the prefecture seeks to respond more flexibly to the early appearance of dangerous animals.

Ceremonies celebrating those turning 20 were held across Japan on January 12th, with events taking place nationwide to mark Coming of Age Day.

The Wall Street Journal reported on January 8th, citing two Chinese exporters, that the Chinese government has started imposing limits on shipments of rare earths and related materials bound for Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A woman’s body was discovered inside the wall of a restaurant in the town of Hidaka, Hokkaido, in a case that has led to the arrest of the restaurant’s owner, with new details emerging about the circumstances of the discovery and the relationship between the two.

The annual New Year imperial poetry ceremony, known as Utakai Hajime, was held at the Imperial Palace, where Princess Aiko’s waka poem was recited publicly for the first time and Prince Hisahito made his debut appearance at the traditional event.

A preview trailer has been released for the Hokkaido Fact program “Ainu and the Majority: Who Stands Up to Discrimination,” scheduled to air on January 18th, 2026, from 3:54 p.m. to 4:24 p.m., examining how the structure of thinking around discrimination is beginning to change.

Men wearing traditional fundoshi loincloths entered the freezing sea to pray for good health and freedom from illness at the “Severe Winter Sea Misogi Festival,” held in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Ceremonies celebrating those turning 20 were held across Japan on January 12th, with events taking place nationwide to mark Coming of Age Day.

What appeared to be an ordinary 100-yen coin turned out to be a counterfeit after emerging from a change machine at a capsule toy specialty store, prompting a Japanese television personality to share his experience on social media.

A man accused of robbing a convenience store and injuring an employee, his face marked by a prominent tattoo, gave an interview from detention ahead of his first court appearance on January 9th, saying the crime was not motivated by financial need.

A car rammed into a police officer during a traffic violation crackdown in Kishiwada, Osaka, on January 7th, with the vehicle continuing to drive while the officer clung to the hood, prompting police to investigate the case as attempted murder.