The example of a Tokyo police officer, who earned the nickname "DJ Cop" for his witty instructions to calm and guide excited soccer fans at a busy intersection outside JR Shibuya Station after Japan qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, is still fresh in the minds of many police, it seems.
The officer relayed instructions to the crowd such as: "You are the team's 12th player. Play fair like the Japanese team."
After the Shibuya incident, police in Tokyo received a flurry of requests from other prefectural departments for staff training in such skills.
Now police in Iwate Prefecture have begun to train young officers on crowd control, taking a page out of the renowned officer's playbook.
In a three-day competition that began on Wednesday, 22 officers are taking turns guiding vehicle traffic and pedestrians at a busy intersection in the city center of Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, according to local police.
A native of Miyagi Prefecture who has never been identified publicly, the policeman is said to have worked crowd control during events such as fireworks displays and New Year's visits to Shinto shrines.
He also won first place in the Tokyo police announcing contest.
