Key facts
- Osaka Prefectural Police said incidents involving children approaching police boxes and shouting the phrase increased sharply since late September 2026.
- Osaka police recorded about 280 related incidents and dealt with roughly 50 boys aged 7 to 16, some arrested.
- Hyogo Prefectural Police took action against 25 young people, including elementary school students.
- Osaka police arrested an 18-year-old on November 2, 2026 on suspicion of obstructing police operations via a social media account.
- The 18-year-old suspect denied the allegations, telling investigators, "That is not true."
- Four boys approached a police box near Kansai Television's Osaka offices at around 7:20 p.m.; three were taken into protective custody.
A viral social media prank targeting Japanese police has spread across the country, with children as young as seven taking part, according to Jiji Press. Known as "Shorinji racing", the trend involves minors shouting "Shorinji-ja" ("We are Shorinji") at police officers in person or through false emergency calls from public telephones while peers record them. Some have kicked doors and torn down posters at local police boxes, or koban, then fled or hung up.
Osaka Prefectural Police said incidents involving children approaching police boxes and shouting the phrase increased sharply since late September 2026. The force has identified at least 280 related cases and dealt with approximately 50 boys aged between 7 and 16, some of whom have also been arrested. Hyogo Prefectural Police have also taken action against 25 young people, including elementary school students, as the phenomenon has spread across prefectural boundaries.
The situation escalated on November 2, 2026, when Osaka police arrested an 18-year-old suspected of obstructing police operations by using a social media account associated with Shorinji Racing to encourage reckless driving and other disruptive behavior. The account reportedly described itself as the original Shorinji Racing account and falsely suggested that its activities had official approval from Osaka Prefectural Police. The suspect has denied the allegations, telling investigators, "That is not true."
Despite the arrest, the incidents have continued. In one case near Kansai Television's offices in Osaka, four boys, including junior high school students, approached a police box at around 7:20 p.m. while an officer was taking a break. The boys repeatedly opened and closed a sliding door, shouted "Shorinji Racing" and fled. Footage captured by a vehicle's dashboard camera showed several police vehicles and officers gathering at the scene. Three of the four boys were subsequently taken into protective custody, while the fourth remained at large at the time of the report.