A policeman fired five shots early Monday morning at the car of two robbery suspects in Yokohama's Totsuka Ward, police officials said.
No one was believed injured in the incident, police said.
Takumi Matsumoto, 46, of Totsuka Police Station chased the suspects' car on motorbike. The officer fired the shots around 5:10 a.m. after he cornered the dark blue sedan in the parking lot of Eishoji Temple and the vehicle drove toward him, they said.
One of the shots reportedly hit the car's windshield, but the suspects managed to speed away. The vehicle's license plates were covered.
Matsumoto had begun the pursuit after seeing two men breaking open a vending machine.
He was called out after police received an emergency call around 4:50 a.m. that two men were stealing from a vending machine in a different location.