Minors detained over ‘Shorinji racing’ pranks in Osaka and Hyogo

The Osaka Prefectural Police have detained or referred 43 minors to authorities for acts of mischief such as throwing firecrackers into police boxes and making prank calls to the emergency number 110, the force said last week. 

The social media-driven acts, known as “Shorinji racing,” have been spreading across Japan. It is not clear why the acts are named this, and they have no connection to the Japanese martial art known as Shorinji Kempo.

Osaka police said they would take strict action against perpetrators as they consider such behavior as serious criminal offenses.

According to the police, about 250 incidents linked to Shorinji racing were reported in Osaka Prefecture in September and October, including calls made to 110 from public telephones in which the caller shouts “Shorinji!” before hanging up. There have also been cases of youths kicking in the glass panels of the doors of police boxes and tearing down posters inside police boxes.

Police have detained or referred 43 youths between the ages of 7 and 16 to authorities. Some of them were arrested on suspicion of damaging buildings. Of the total, 32 were 13 years or younger.

The pranking trend has been spreading among young people through social media platforms such as the short-video sharing app TikTok.

Some of the youths reportedly told police they had seen the pranks on social media and thought they looked fun, while others said they wanted to make their school friends laugh.

In neighboring Hyogo Prefecture, similar incidents, including cases of youths entering police boxes without permission and spraying juice around inside them, have occurred during the same period.

The Hyogo Prefectural Police have detained or referred 25 minors, including elementary school students, to authorities.

Hyogo police urge youths not to play pranks on public institutions.