Starting in the fiscal year beginning April 2027, Japanese police will begin a nationwide rollout of body-worn cameras. The National Police Agency (NPA) confirmed the expansion on Friday, citing positive results from trial programs that have been running in 13 prefectural police departments since September 2023.

The agency has requested a budget of approximately 170 million yen, equivalent to about US$1 million, to fund the initial phase of the rollout. This budget is intended to cover the acquisition and implementation of roughly 2,000 cameras. According to the NPA, the primary objectives of the program are to improve the quality of evidence collected during investigations and to provide a mechanism for verifying that officers adhere to proper legal and investigative procedures during their duties.

While the announcement focuses on the operational benefits of the technology, the move represents a significant shift in Japanese policing, where body cameras have not previously been a standard requirement. The trials were designed to test the practical application of the cameras in various field scenarios, and the agency concluded that the devices successfully assisted in maintaining transparency and accountability. Further details regarding the specific deployment schedule across different prefectures or potential privacy safeguards for the public have not yet been fully detailed by the agency.