Motorcycle Police Cosplay Legal in Japan?

I’ve stumbled upon the video below and was completely flabbergasted watching a guy riding a Honda Goldwing with a police-look-alike gear mounted on it, while the rider himself was also dressed in the guise of a Japanese motorcycle cop. According to the narrator, the real Japanese police are quite alright with such guys, as they believe it’s just their way of having fun.

A closer inspection of this guy’s bike and uniform will reveal that he is not actually a police officer, but at the same time, people could easily take him as a cop. Certain details of his costume are missing from the big picture, but if a con would want to use such a disguise to trick people, I bet most of them would fail to notice the different emblem on the white helmet, and other details such as rank insignia on the epaulettes and so on.

Suffice to say that his blue uniform, white scarf around the neck, white helmet, sirens and lights on the bike would definitely prevail over the presence of a passenger seat, a feature no real police bike comes with. On actual police-spec motorcycles, the rear seat is usually occupied with a special-design box containing radio and similar equipment. The seat is also different from the stock versions, because a police officer on duty will be required to spend long hours on the bike - the special seat offers more comfort and less fatigue.

Now, riding such a motorcycle on public roads would be illegal in the US or Europe, uniform or not, and the real cops would instantly pull it over, with the rider facing criminal charges. Being dressed as a cop look-alike would definitely add to the fine and possibly jail time, too. For more on authority and police motorcycles, follow this autoevolution story.