Japanese Police Now Equipped With Chintzy, Inaccurate Paintball Guns

So they've gone from throwing the silly balls to having what appears to be a single shot paintball gun. The main thing in Japan is that it practically requires an act of god for the cops to use guns, signed in triplicate, and hand delivered by the Emperor himself. So they have to resort to these kinds of unconventional means. What I don't get is that you still have the major problem that, all I need to do is take off my jacket, and now I am untraceable. In Japan most people carry cash, as credit cards are very hard to come by and are not widely used. Thus stealing a purse as indicated in the video nets you quite a bit of money, since carrying around several hundred dollars in cash is common. They need a spider-sense gps tracking device :)

satoru

@DayWeSpilledThePaint_GitEmSteveDave:From what I understand, frangible ammo is extremely lethal, just not to passersby, due to its extremely fine fragments. But yeah, most of those are quite lethal if used improperly, and we all know how the Japanese feel about that.

@Barry99705: Yeah, like that Snelgrove girl the Boston police accidentally killed.

The guy in the suit at 0:48 throws like the mayor of Cincinnati...was he supposed to hit that sign at 10ft away?

antiDesign

Thinking about it, this might not be such a bad idea. I would add to those balls the some sort of horrid stench substance. Although it wont help against a bank robber, it will surely make the day miserable for the average teen shoplifter: being painted and smelling like crap will stop your nonsense for a day.

Just put some pepper balls in there. That'll learn them! http://www.pepperball.com/product_details.php?category_id=51&item_id=142

Beanbags, rubber bullets, pepperballs, frangible rounds, etc aren't called "non-lethal". They are technically called "less than lethal" alternatives, as they can still kill depending on where you are hit/how close you are.

the cops need some pew pew, not splat.

I guess these guys have never heard of "leading" a moving target. Back to the firing range for you!

Ktak

they better not be skimping on the paint...criminals deserve to wear Ultra Evil (none of that brass eagle crap)

I don't know how Japanese police are, but I'd be worried it would become a quick go-to tool for guys you really want to punish but can't shoot or beat, so you pull this thing out and pop 'em one. Kind of like how Tasers and stun guns in the US have become widely used in situations that don't warrant it.

"Hey, I've got this non lethal tool, and this guy's a jackass, soooooo....*POP*"

Bah, you people don't understand. It's obviously designed specificaly as a tool to use against criminals who wear thermoptic camouflage :)

AdrianWerner

wouldn't this just piss off a criminal? criminal turns around with a knife and just stabs the officer in the face for leaving an orange stain on his shirt

@Xterm11_is Rhyming:
Your poems are good,
But their paintballs are better.
Your lyrics may rhyme,
But they'll tag your sweater.

Con Seannery

I think the guy wielding this craptastic plastic crowd controller will be more concerned about this thing malfunctioning.

@Digo: Yeah, the Japanese cops are so going after the criminals when they pick their katanas up in the station.

USB_Humping_Dog

How you say "Don't paintball me, bro-san"?

Walljasper

Basically, no need for a bullet proof vest, but rather all you need is a bit of paint ball gear and a helmet to protect your head and you are golden. Most pointless police weapon on the market.

UWAZell

How does this compare to, say, the BB gun in terms of Radroach efficiency?

should use some stinky gooey fluid that glows in the dark, so the thief won't be able to blend with the crowd.... "i smell a thief here...."

mocax

I the US they shoot paint balls filled with pepper spray. this shooting people with paint seems kinda pointless to me.

mmoylan

@Xterm11_is Rhyming:
The Japanese are smart
and this is the sign
instead of killing criminals
they make them serve their time.

What you don't know is that when these are rolled out, they'll be filling the pellets with acid, and not paint...

EtrnL_Frost

welts and stains... as long as that paint ain't comin' off easily they can nab the guy eventually... hey why does Kim have all that red on his face lately.... "It's just a rash"

Here's the deal: It's used for identifying people who don't stop for the police. That's it! Giz, this is the first time I've ever complained about the site's reporting accuracy, but come on, learn some Japanese if you're going to post about Japanese tech. Hell, hire me. I'm about to graduate anyway with two degrees related to translation. But that's not the point. Of course they're not lethal. The anchorwoman almost jokingly said at the end that this device, literally a "colorball-propelling device" was only restricted for official police use and not available for purchase. 笑！

The Japanese are pansies,
this is really clear,
Instead of killing with big guns,
they'll tag you in the rear.

I do not know why they play,
With little plastic toys,
When instead they could be shooting,
with real guns like real boys

Please do not listen,
to this simple rhyme.
It 'twas solely created,
to pass the dreary time

Xterm11_is Rhyming

Oh man, if this gets into my eyes..... yikes, can't imagine that.

And what if this misfires and hits me in he groin? Ow....

Anyways, I don't think this is meant to harm the criminal, but meant as a way to tag the guy in a large crowd.

@Evdor: Actually, getting hit on the top of the skull is what hurt me the worst. I had a mask, but no helmet, so it'd break the damn skin on my skull and oh ow.

@Chewbenator: That's probably the actual intent of the 'weapon', particularly in a high-population place like Japan, where would-be criminals can literally hide in a crowd, or at least that's what I figure. That said, it's still a pretty chintzy mechanism for firing.

Evdor

FREEZE! Or I'll stain your shirt so bad...!

i think the thing that makes it utterly ridiculous is the novelty-grade laser pointers they've stuck on the side.

BongoFury

@Lite: is on a boat.: Or nail you in that part between the mask and your brow, spraying that crap all inside your mask, and the paint kinda burns your eyes. I've had that happen when I was crawling around (it was a log they laid out for cover, but somebody climbed a damn tree). Also? Groin. God help you if you aren't wearing protection.

Evdor

You've obviously never played Monster Hunter (it's really big in Japan). First, you shoot him with a paintball so you can track him down on your minimap when he runs aways. Then you track him down and finish him off with your katana. Look man, if you don't know anything about the culture then don't talk about it, okay.

Digo

too slow of a firing rate and too weak. let me at them with my angel blasting 200 fps =D

inertial

It seems like it's more to tag the criminal instead of actually hurt them in any way. Sorry if obvious comment is obvious.

As long as they don't shoot me in the fucking ear. That shit hurts man!

@satoru: Losing a couple hundred yen doesn't mean crap.

Charles Ip

@Con Seannery: I'll just wear a poncho,
When I steal your cash.
And if shot by a honcho,
I'll toss it in the trash.

@Mobius_1000_Club: Depends on the perks you take.

@Barry99705: That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw this. A couple shots from a pepperball gun probably hurt alot more than paint!

Why would the FCC certify a paintball gun for children?

commentotron

Serious?? I thought this was a joke! Takes off jackets, runs around corner blends in..ahh the Japanese..so conventional

World iS Mi iPhone!!

@KeepingTheForeName_GitEmSteveDave: Frangeable bullets are extremely lethal to the person being shot, but there's almost no pieces that make it out the other side, so you don't get any accidental injuries.

@bustedchain: oh yeah? well I was playing paintball last week, and right when i came out from behind this bush, a guy maced me and kicked me in the nuts. i haven't checked yet, but i'm pretty sure the rules don't allow for that.

@josephbloseph: They are the same as paint balls, I don't see the problem. She was hit by a gas canister fried by a grenade launcher.

Am i the only one who thinks standard paintballs are a really bad choice for this, considering they're oil based and therefore easy to wipe off?

@USB_Humping_Dog: That sounds like a really good movie.

@Mobius_1000_Club: While its hard to be less effective than a BB gun, this manages to do that.

@bustedchain: I know what you mean, i got shot there once with someone with a fancy pants marker from one bunker away. luckily it was a tad bit too my left though.

What they need to do, is order some paintball guns from the US. Not only will they mark there target.. (That seemed to be what they were doing) they will leave there target sore and bruised.

--Core--

@bustedchain: I got shot on the nail of my pinky. Hurt like crazy.

neuralien

@MaWeiTao: I thought the same and it made me think...you never see FSJ and Dan Nosewitt together...hmmmm

Patrick O'Neill

@DayWeSpilledThePaint_GitEmSteveDave: Those are all meant to disable some one. The intent here is more of a way to track the criminals in a culture where criminal activity is greatly frowned upon. Not only does this make you more visible it also shames you as you run by people you may know with a big orange mark on your back.

Maori_Yelir

Nobody even noticed the motorcycle gangs in the video. Those guys used to ride through my neighborhood. They were a real nuisance. One of my friends was attacked by those guys on the freeway. But Japanese police are keystone cops. I doubt they will ever use these paintball guns. I got pulled over by them once for talking on my cellphone and I just pretended to not understand what the officer was saying and I drove off. He didn't even follow me.

antitrust311

@Lite: is on a boat.: Man that's nothing. Try getting shot about 2-3 inches below the adam's apple, dead center, just above your collarbone. I'll take three of your forehead shots if you'll take one of those just barely above the collarbone shots. Before you feel/realize the sting, you wonder "How in the hell did I get shot there of all damn places".

bustedchain

The last time I check the FCC regulated our airwaves, not children's toys.

MaWeiTao

@Lite: is on a boat.: Def I just played yesterday and was flanked and shot in the back of the head!! that eff'n kills!!

Herb Vasquez

@KeepingTheForeName_GitEmSteveDave: Dr. Venture can't take rubber bullets. I think him and Sgt. Hatred are due in court next week.

Needs translation, but looks like it's to be used as a tagging device, not a non-lethal weapon. And seriously, it's not that western countries never presented ridiculous ideas for non-lethal weapons too... we just didn't see most of them, that's all. I said it once, I'll say it again: Western media, including blogs but mostly the mainstream media, likes to pick only the most stupid stuff from Japan to paste on the news, only to reinforce prejudice and the "exotic" image we make from asian countries. I'm kinda tired of reading japanese news about how slow and inefficiente japanese police is, how racist the overall culture is, how japanese men are all perverts, how japanese lack creativity for serious inventions, how cold the people are, how couples won't even kiss each other in public, and all the myths perpetuated by the press... Yes, some are partially truth, you do have people like that there, but making people believe every single japanese or even a majority is like that is pure ignorance. Instead of an unbiased undestanding from people who lives and truly understands the country, we usually have a limited image constructed by I mix of prejudice, really old japanese customs, urban legends and lots of assumptions. Something truly sad IMO. But I guess this comment isn't aimed solely to Dan... it's more of a generic rant. :P

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

You can see that they are extra gooey and got paint all over the back of his bike too. I'm assuming that the paintballs have some of that long lasting dye. Even if you wash it off you can still see it under certain kinds of light.

DrDoom83

I think it's probably more to do with 'flagging' them as criminals, rather than actually injuring them. From what I've heard Japan's sense of community is pretty damn good compared to most places in the world and there's police pretty much everywhere. So I imagine this would help them out a lot in tracking down criminals. Just my thoughts!

QuincyOedipus

@nutbastard: No no. That's cool. Legal shot.

Hey, it's a tough game.

Oldbrass

These are for tagging biker gangs that ride around making noise and being a nuisance.

namabiru

@Barry99705: No, she wasn't. It wasn't a gas canister, and it wasn't a grenade launcher. It was firing Oleoresin capsicum rounds. While not exactly a paintball, paintballs aren't exactly harmless to fire into a crowd of people not wearing masks.

so.. what if i wear a jacket? shoot my jacket to mark me? i'll just shed it off.

derilium