Japanese cops had to start using supercars to chase Tokyo’s underground racers
- Japanese cops have used supercars to tackle Tokyo street racers
- The most famous racers came from the Mid Night Club
- Nissan and Honda lent vehicles to law enforcement to help catch them
Published on Apr 28, 2025 at 6:25 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Apr 25, 2025 at 7:27 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The Japanese cops have been forced to use supercars to chase down Tokyo’s street racers.
This stretches right back to the 1970s when the famous Datsun 240Z was used as part of the country’s police force.
Fast forward to 2025, and the outgoing Nissan R35 GT-R has also been added to the fleet, as Tokyo’s street racers aren’t afraid to push the limits.
While the cops would like to have an easier time, there is no denying how cool a supercar is as a patrol car.
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Tokyo street racers started breaking national bans
In the 1970s, Japan introduced a regulation requiring all JDM – Japanese Domestic Market – vehicles to be limited to a top speed of 112MPH.
A manufacturer’s agreement in 1988 then imposed a power limit of 286HP on all JDM cars sold.
However, street racers began to violate those roles, and the famous Mid Night Club was organized as a result of this.
This led to races on the Wangan-sen, or Bayshore Route.
This is a stretch of highway along Japan’s coastline, and part of the Shuto Expressway.
With racers now tuning their cars well beyond the manufacturer’s limits, cops had a big problem.
Thankfully, manufacturers would begin to help by supplying police forces with new cars.
High-performance Japanese cars became part of department fleet
Initially, the department used Porsche 912s during the 1960s.
Thereafter, the Datsun 240Z was introduced, with its inline-six engine making 150HP.
As power levels increased, though, the cops also needed more powerful cars.
Nissan would help out again, with the GT-R R32 entering service in 1991.
All future generations would then be used by the police.
This included the R33, R34, and the most recent R35 GT-R.
With the Nissan GT-R making at least 565HP from its 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6, street racers suddenly had a tougher time.
Honda also joined in on the action, introducing the NSX to law enforcement.
Mazda did too with the RX-7 sports car.
Street racing isn’t as big a problem as it was in Japan some 30-40 years ago.
But it certainly helps to have supercars in your fleet that can tackle the problem, should the need arise.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
