High powered sports car donated to Japanese police
Police in Japan’s Mie Prefecture will have no excuse for arriving to incidents slowly, with the police force receiving a high powered sports car as a gift from a generous benefactor.
On the 21st of April 2025, a uniquely converted Honda NSX sports car was officially donated to the Mie Prefectural Police by the president of a real estate firm in a formal ceremony.
The NSX is a high performance sports vehicle which has a 3.5l V6 engine, capable of 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds.
Mie Prefectural Police’s new NSX patrol vehicle has been decorated with livery in the standard black and white police colors and bears the emergency telephone number “110” as its license plate.
To commemorate the donation, the new police patrol car was driven around Mie Prefecture’s iconic Suzuka Circuit – the venue where the donation ceremony was held.
This marks only the second instance nationwide, following a similar donation in Tochigi Prefecture, where a Honda NSX has been repurposed as a police patrol car.
The individual responsible for this donation is Toshiya Kobayashi, aged 43, the president of the real estate company Smart, which is based in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture.
Mr. Kobayashi is known to be an enthusiast of motorsports. His motivation for the donation arose from his knowledge of sports cars being adapted for police use, coupled with his belief that the presence of such a vehicle at the Suzuka Circuit, a location renowned for hosting the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix, would be a source of considerable interest and pleasure for many people.
The process leading to this donation began in June 2024, when during a visit to the Suzuka Circuit to observe a race, Mr. Kobayashi directly proposed his idea to prefectural police officials who were present at the event conducting public relations activities.
The officials and Mr. Kobayashi continued discussions after the initial meeting and ultimately agreed on the donation of the NSX.
Reflecting on the donation, Mr. Kobayashi commented:
“It looks even cooler than I imagined. I hope it will be used in educational activities so that more children will want to become police officers when they grow up.”
According to information provided by the Mie Prefectural Police, the total expenditure associated with this specialized patrol car, encompassing both its initial purchase and the subsequent modifications required for police service, amounted to approximately 25 million yen, which is roughly equivalent to $177,000 USD.
Yoji Tsurusawa, the head of the Mie Prefectural Police, expressed his sincere appreciation for the donation, stating:
“We gratefully accepted the offer to use the vehicle for police activities. We will operate it effectively to ensure it is widely recognized by the citizens of the prefecture.”
This statement highlights the police department’s intention to utilize the donated NSX patrol car in a way that benefits the community and enhances public relations efforts.
Source: The Chunichi Shimbun
Images: © Mie Prefectural Police, Chunichi Shimbun
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