Do police in Japan carry guns?

Many countries have police officers that do not carry guns, but Japan is NOT one of them. They carry .38 special revolvers, not the high-capacity 9mm handguns often toted by the American police.[110] No officer would ever carry a second, smaller handgun as a back up, as many American police do. Policeman may not add individual touches, such as pearl handles or unusual holster, to dress up their gun. While American police are often required to carry guns while off-duty, and almost always granted the privilege if they wish (even when retired), Japanese police must always leave their guns at the station. Unlike in the United States, desk-bound police administrators, traffic police, most plainclothes detectives, and even the riot police do not carry guns.[111]

Instead of using guns, the police rely on their black belts in judo or their police sticks. Indeed, police recruit training spends 60 hours on firearms compared to 90 hours on judo, and another 90 on kendo (fencing with sticks). (The number of hours that Japanese police recruits do spend on firearms training is larger than what most of their American counterparts receive; that the Japanese are so thoroughly instructed in a weapon which they are expected to use in only the rarest of circumstances testifies to the highly cautious approach of the Japanese police towards firearms.) After police school, few officers show any interest in further firearms training, while continued judo and kendo practice is frequent. Annual police martial arts contests are important events. Sixty percent of officers rank in one of the top judo brackets. Beer bellies are non-existent. In contrast, many American policemen, if confronted with deadly assault, have no combat technique to use except gunfire.[112] The American police's heavy reliance on guns serves, intentionally or not, to legitimise a similar attitude in the rest of the population.

The link below gives the history of guns and gun control in Japan.

Yes they do. Always. But they rarely use them, and when they DO use them they have as many problems as the UK police when they shoot someone. Apparently it's acceptable for a criminal to attack a policeman while resisting arrest, but it's not acceptable for the policeman to defend himself - especially if the crim gets injured as a result!
(Typical Politically Correct rubbish...!)

Yes they do, the wife and I saw four police officers on the dotonbori in osaka and all four were carrying what appeared to revolvers in old fashioned leather flap holsters, the revolvers were tethered to the officers holster along with the compliment of other tools on an officers "Batman" belt like a night stick, pepper spray, and hand cuffs. Also I found it interesting that they all wore soft body armor. I assume because most criminals would be using handguns for their nefarious work.

If there are law offenders out there, they will not understand simple language.
I will authorize Japanese police, like any other police in the world, to carry weapons at least for self-defense if not killing offenders at the spot.

Japanese Police Officer

Gun Laws In Japan

1

its not britain, cops in japan have the right to defend themselves, so they are armed, but i dont see they carry speedloaders, they can only use 6 bullets

Well I cannot imagine Japanese police carrying Kendo sticks on patrol.
when there recently I saw some with guns, but then again I am scottish so it is not something I usually look for
I feel in that community a Kendo / or night stick would be useless against the various factions which operate ther .. So yes I think they have more guns that are shown openly

Well, lets teast it, go to japan, rob a bank and tell me in the next 5 years if they do.