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There's no hiding from Sueaki Sato. The dapper, silver-haired ex-con sooner or later casts his keen eye over every comer of every city, town or village in Japan's 47 prefectures. Wherever there's an illicit Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bambi, Dumbo, Peter Pan or other Walt Disney character, he'll track it down and wipe it out.
The offender might be called Mickey's nightclub with a painting of the famous grinning mouse on the door, or the Goofy strip joint. It might be a toy shop, car dealership or video rental store.
Sato, lone investigator for Walt Disney Attractions Japan Ltd, snares a violator nearly every day. Still robust at the age of 68, he has doggedly pursued his second career since retiring from the police force in 1984, the year after Tokyo Disneyland opened.
Violators range from complete innocents to true villains. Members of the Japanese Self Defence Forces, Japan's armed forces, got caught when someone dressed...