Toyama Prefectural Police and AUTHENTIC JAPAN Sign Agreement for Mountain Rescue Operations

AUTHENTIC JAPAN, the operator of "Cocoheli," a membership-based search service that identifies the location of missing persons in mountains and oceans (Headquarters: Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Kazutaka Kuga), signed an agreement with the Toyama Prefectural Police on May 27, 2026, regarding search operations for mountain accidents.

The agreement aims to speed up the location detection of individuals in distress and increase search efficiency in Toyama Prefecture by utilizing Cocoheli transmitters, receivers, and drones.

The signing ceremony was held at the Murodo Terminal Observatory on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. It was attended by Masato Takagi, Chief of the Toyama Prefectural Police, and Kazutaka Kuga, President of AUTHENTIC JAPAN. The event included a demonstration showcasing the flow of searching for and locating an individual carrying a Cocoheli transmitter using a drone-mounted receiver.

## About the Agreement with Toyama Prefectural Police

Toyama Prefecture is home to popular mountain areas including Murodo and Mt. Tsurugi. However, search operations in these regions can be time-consuming due to sudden weather changes, complex terrain, and limited mobile phone communication.

Cocoheli is a membership-based search service that identifies the location of victims by directly capturing radio signals from small transmitters carried by hikers. By leveraging helicopters and drones, the service assists in rapid localization, even in vast mountain areas where ground-based search is difficult.

This agreement establishes a framework for the Toyama Prefectural Police Mountain Rescue Team to perform rapid and safe search operations using Cocoheli transmitters and receivers.

## Demonstration of Drone-Assisted Search

Following the ceremony, a demonstration was conducted using a drone equipped with a receiver to locate a target carrying a Cocoheli transmitter.

Drones help speed up search operations and reduce the physical burden on ground personnel, especially in areas difficult to reach immediately or where wide-area exploration is required, overcoming issues like poor visibility or complex terrain that often hinder visual searches by helicopters or ground teams.

## Free Rental Program for "Cocoheli" Transmitters

The Toyama Prefectural Police Mountain Rescue Team plans to provide free rentals of Cocoheli transmitters to hikers who do not carry them, as a safety measure before climbing.

Rentals will be available at the following three locations:

- Murodo Security Police Station
- Tsurugisawa Security Police Station
- Babajima Security Police Station

Each location will promote the rental system using banners, posters at Murodo Station, and leaflets. The posters illustrate that while visual searches without a transmitter take time, radio-based searches with a transmitter allow for rapid localization.

## Information Leaflets

The distributed leaflets explain how the system captures radio signals to pinpoint locations and instructions for returning the devices. Returns are handled by personnel at the respective police stations, with return boxes available for off-hours.

## Comments from Masato Takagi, Chief of Toyama Prefectural Police

"Signing this agreement with AUTHENTIC JAPAN is deeply encouraging and significant for those of us involved in mountain search and rescue. Toyama has diverse mountain areas, from 3,000-meter peaks like Mt. Tateyama and Mt. Tsurugi to lower mountains accessible for day trips, attracting hikers from across Japan and abroad. Unfortunately, mountain accidents are increasing; last year saw a record 165 incidents, and eight people have remained missing over the past five years. We are being called upon for faster and more precise actions.

Under this agreement, the Toyama Prefectural Police Mountain Rescue Team will conduct the first-ever transmitter rental program in Japan. We encourage all hikers visiting Toyama to borrow a Cocoheli transmitter from our mountain rescue team to prepare for any potential emergencies."