Kanagawa Prefectural Police Sparks Outrage on X: 'Defamation' Warning for Reporting Bullying Draws Heavy Criticism

The trending topic “Kanagawa Prefectural Police” is drawing significant attention on the SNS platform X (formerly Twitter). The catalyst for this trend was an awareness campaign and messages allegedly disseminated by the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, which suggested the possibility of “defamation” for posting images or videos of bullying and assault on social media. This message has provoked a strong backlash from numerous users, who accuse the police of “defending perpetrators” and “misunderstanding the core issue,” creating considerable controversy. According to images posted and content cited, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police appears to have issued messages stating that “filming scenes of bullying or assault and posting them on SNS may constitute defamation.” In response, many users have expressed anger, stating that “violence itself is a crime, and restricting its exposure is wrong” and “before talking about defamation, assault perpetrators should be arrested.” There are also numerous opinions such as “perpetrators have no human rights” and “the bullied child is the primary victim,” highlighting a perceived divergence between whom the police should originally protect and the direction of the current message. Users have flooded social media with sarcastic and disappointed comments like “Typical Kanagawa Prefectural Police,” “Their actions are ridiculously off-base,” “So clueless,” and “This is unacceptable.” Harsh criticism has also come from local residents, with remarks such as “They're already ridiculed and disliked by people from other prefectures and by their own citizens, so why distribute flyers that will make them even more hated?” and “I'm ashamed to be a citizen of a prefecture with such a police force...” Some users have also questioned the Kanagawa Prefectural Police's stance by referencing past bullying incidents where video dissemination potentially saved lives, asking, “Weren't there lives saved because videos were spread?” Furthermore, some of these criticisms stem from accumulated dissatisfaction with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police's past responses and public image. In one instance, an image of a police car stuck in snow was posted, accompanied by comments mocking the organization's incompetence, such as “Kanagawa Prefectural Police responding to an accident? They got stuck in the snow – classic Kanagawa Prefectural Police.” Many users are criticizing the series of issues with the phrase “Kanagawa Prefectural Police quality.” This latest controversy forces society to re-examine what kind of message police organizations should convey regarding serious issues like bullying and assault, and what their priorities should be. The Kanagawa Prefectural Police is now urged to accept this criticism and demonstrate a more victim-centric approach.

The context

The Kanagawa Prefectural Police (KPP) is one of Japan's largest prefectural police forces, serving a populous prefecture adjacent to Tokyo. This controversy erupted on X (formerly Twitter), a major social media platform in Japan. The core issue revolves around the KPP's message suggesting that posting videos or images of bullying and assault on social media could constitute