“The Police” (ザ・ポリス), Original Japanese First-Tour Concert Poster 1980, Tokyo Debut, Ultra Rare, B2 Size (approx. 51.5 × 72.8 cm / 51 × 73 cm) - Gallery

A striking original 1980 Japanese B2 advertising The Police’s first Japanese tour, including their debut performance at Nakano Sun Plaza, Tokyo, on 14 February 1980.

Issued for Udo Artists’ Rockupation ’80 presentation, this bold Japanese design combines a large colour group photograph with sharply angled yellow panels, emphatic Japanese headlines and the English band name in red. The complete lower advertising strip retains the contemporary Maxwell Blendy “Keep Your Smile” campaign, adding a distinctive Japanese commercial context to the concert announcement.

Its historical significance is particularly precise. The poster advertises the opening three concerts of the inaugural Japanese visit, during the breakthrough Reggatta de Blanc period, when the band’s combination of rhythmic invention, concise songwriting and energetic live performance was establishing an international audience.

The performances belong to the early touring history of Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, before the release of Zenyatta Mondatta later in 1980 and several years before the global success of Synchronicity.

For collectors, the sheet brings together the Japanese debut, the opening Tokyo engagements, the classic trio, the first two albums’ era, distinctive Japanese promotional copy and the complete original sponsor panel.

Presented unbacked in Excellent condition, the poster retains strong colour and considerable display presence. Pinholes and minor corner tears from previous display have been supported on the reverse with archival tape, preserving the original sheet while documenting its history of use.

Date & First Japanese Tour

The Police made their Japanese concert debut at Nakano Sun Plaza on Thursday, 14 February 1980.

This poster advertises the first three performances of the visit, all in Tokyo:

Thursday, 14 February 1980 — Nakano Sun Plaza
Performance scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Friday, 15 February 1980 — Nakano Sun Plaza
Performance scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, 17 February 1980 — Shibuya Public Hall
Performance scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

The venues are identified on the sheet as:

サンプラザホール
“Sun Plaza Hall”

渋谷公会堂
“Shibuya Public Hall”

Following these Tokyo appearances, the six-concert tour continued to Nagoya on 18 February, Osaka on 19 February and Kyoto on 20 February.

The distinction is important: this is not merely a poster associated with an early visit. It advertises the first Japanese performance itself, together with the two Tokyo concerts that immediately followed.

The original admission categories are preserved beneath the concert details:

S — ¥3,000
A — ¥2,700
B — ¥2,000

The precise dates, named venues, starting times, ticket prices and advance-sales information identify the sheet as contemporary advertising for the forthcoming concerts, rather than a later commemorative design.

The Trio & The Police’s Early Legacy

The February 1980 visit belongs to a formative period in The Police’s international career.

Their debut album, Outlandos d’Amour, had appeared in 1978, introducing a repertoire that included “Roxanne,” “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely.” Its successor, Reggatta de Blanc, followed in 1979 and became the band’s first UK number-one album.

The second record also produced their first two UK chart-topping singles, “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon.” By the time of the Japanese tour, the band had therefore moved beyond its initial emergence without yet reaching the later stadium-era scale associated with Synchronicity.

The musical identity rested on the interaction of three distinctive players: Sting’s bass and lead vocals, Andy Summers’ guitar and Stewart Copeland’s drums.

Rather than relying on a densely layered ensemble, the group developed a sound in which rhythmic space, sharply defined guitar figures, bass movement and intricate percussion were central. Punk energy, reggae-derived rhythms and melodic songwriting became elements of a recognisable style.

The Japanese campaign captures that confidence in its prominent headline:

このトリオに敵はなし!!
“This trio has no rivals!”

The wording is more than a generic endorsement. It makes the three-person configuration itself a selling point, presenting the band’s compactness as a source of strength.

For collectors, this is a significant distinction: the poster documents the early trio arriving in Japan with the repertoire and musical identity established by its first two albums, rather than a later retrospective presentation of an already completed career.

Reggatta de Blanc & the Around the World Period

The advertised concerts took place during the international touring period associated with Reggatta de Blanc.

Released in October 1979, the album consolidated the band’s sound through songs such as “Message in a Bottle,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Bring on the Night” and “The Bed’s Too Big Without You.” The Japanese visit followed only a few months later.

This chronology gives the poster a particularly clear place within the band’s development. The concerts preceded Zenyatta Mondatta, released later in 1980, and belong to the period when the live act was carrying the early repertoire to audiences across an increasingly wide international circuit.

Those travels became the subject of The Police: Around the World, which combined concert footage with scenes of the musicians visiting and exploring countries including Japan.

The documentary’s Japanese material gives the first visit an enduring visual record. Later releases also preserved performances from Kyoto, the final engagement of the same six-concert itinerary that opened with the Tokyo dates advertised here.

The present sheet is therefore connected to a well-documented chapter of the band’s history: the first Japanese encounters within the broader journey that established The Police as an international live act.

Its value as a historical object lies in its specificity. Where the documentary records the journey, the poster preserves the original invitation to the opening Tokyo concerts—the venues, times, prices and promotional language through which the performances were offered to Japanese audiences.

Udo Artists, Rockupation ’80 & the Japanese Campaign

The English production credit runs along the angled upper border of the photograph:

AN UDO ARTISTS, INC. PRESENTATION 1980

Beside it appears the campaign designation:

ROCKUPATION ’80 第3弾
“Rockupation ’80 — Third Instalment”

This is the presentation’s place within Udo’s promotional series, rather than a reference to a third Japanese visit.

The Japanese credits identify Nippon Cultural Broadcasting and Udo Artists as organisers, with Alfa Records providing cooperation and Maxwell Blendy appearing as sponsor.

These details anchor the poster firmly to its local campaign. The combination of a concert promoter, broadcaster, record company and consumer sponsor preserves the commercial framework surrounding the band’s Japanese introduction.

The blue promotional wording beneath the main title reads:

戦慄のポリス・ビートが新時代の幕明けを告げる！
“The electrifying Police beat heralds the dawn of a new era!”

Its emphasis is unmistakably forward-looking. The campaign presents the group as the sound of a new musical moment, rather than drawing on the retrospective prestige of later achievements.

The Japanese headline, English production credit, local ticket information and sponsor advertisement make this a fully developed Japanese concert design—not simply a publicity photograph accompanied by a small date panel.

Maxwell Blendy & the Complete Sponsor Panel

The white strip across the foot of the poster retains the original Maxwell Blendy advertising panel.

Its principal English slogan is:

Keep Your Smile

Beneath it, the Japanese copy reads:

コーヒーも役者の小道具なんだ。
“Coffee, too, is an actor’s prop.”

The monochrome advertising image, coffee jar, cup and bold Blendy branding create a distinct visual register beneath the yellow concert information. At the right, a separate SoundMate panel invites applications for its 1980 membership programme.

The sponsor’s participation is also recorded in the main concert credits:

協賛　マックスウェル・ブレンディ
“Sponsor: Maxwell Blendy”

This complete strip is an important feature of the example offered. It preserves the poster as it was conceived for the Japanese campaign, with concert promotion and contemporary consumer advertising presented together.

The contrast is particularly evocative: an internationally emerging rock trio is advertised above a distinctly local combination of coffee branding, Japanese copy and a music-related membership notice.

For collectors of Japanese concert ephemera, these details provide additional documentary interest. They preserve the surrounding visual and commercial culture of the event, rather than reducing the object to the band photograph alone.

Design Notes

A commanding photographic centre: the large colour group photograph occupies most of the sheet. Its dark architectural background provides depth, while the closely grouped figures give the composition immediacy and a compact visual focus.

Sharply angled yellow panels: the upper headline area and lower concert-information band cut across the photograph on diagonals. Their geometry creates movement while keeping the essential advertising information highly legible.

A bold Japanese title: the large black katakana lettering, outlined in red, dominates the yellow upper field. Its scale and weight establish the band name before the viewer reaches the photographic image.

Contrasting English branding: the stacked red THE POLICE lettering at the lower left of the photograph provides a second point of recognition. Its narrow, vertical arrangement contrasts with the broad Japanese title above.

Lightning-like graphic accents: pointed yellow forms extend into the dark photographic area, reinforcing the sense of rhythm and energy suggested by the promotional wording.

An effective early-1980s palette: yellow, black and red provide the principal graphic structure, with blue used for the upper promotional text and production credit. The colour photograph introduces more natural tones without weakening the design’s high contrast.

Concert information given visual prominence: the dates and Japanese venue names are set in substantial black lettering across the lower yellow panel. The original starting times and ticket categories remain integrated into the same area.

The complete lower advertisement: the white sponsor strip establishes a clear finish to the sheet, contrasting with the dark photograph and saturated yellow fields above. Its retention preserves the full original campaign layout.

A distinctive Japanese presentation: emphatic local slogans, the Rockupation designation, Japanese venue information and the Maxwell Blendy panel give the poster a specificity absent from a generic band photograph or later decorative reprint.

Text Translations

Key poster text (Japanese → English):

ザ・ポリス
“The Police”

このトリオに敵はなし!!
“This trio has no rivals!”

戦慄のポリス・ビートが新時代の幕明けを告げる！
“The electrifying Police beat heralds the dawn of a new era!”

ROCKUPATION ’80 第3弾
“Rockupation ’80 — Third Instalment”

2月14日（木）・15日（金）サンプラザホール
“Thursday, 14 February, and Friday, 15 February — Sun Plaza Hall”

2月17日（日）渋谷公会堂
“Sunday, 17 February — Shibuya Public Hall”

主催　文化放送／ウドー音楽事務所
“Organisers: Nippon Cultural Broadcasting / Udo Artists”

協力　アルファ・レコード
“With the cooperation of Alfa Records”

協賛　マックスウェル・ブレンディ
“Sponsor: Maxwell Blendy”

各プレイガイド及びウドー音楽事務所にて絶賛発売中！
“Tickets now on sale at ticket agencies and through Udo Artists!”

コーヒーも役者の小道具なんだ。
“Coffee, too, is an actor’s prop.”

’80年度会員募集中
“Applications now open for 1980 membership”

Condition Report

Overall condition: Excellent for its age and format — unbacked, with localised archival-tape repairs on the reverse.

An attractive original 1980 Japanese concert poster, retaining strong colour, clear photographic detail and the complete lower sponsor advertisement.

Previous display: pinholes and minor tears are present at the corners and adjoining edges from earlier display. The affected areas have been supported on the reverse with archival tape. These localised repairs are disclosed as part of the poster’s condition and are visible in the detailed photographs.

Colour: the yellow panels retain strong saturation, while the red lettering and blue promotional text remain well differentiated. The central photograph preserves good tonal detail and a strong overall appearance.

Lower sponsor panel: the complete Maxwell Blendy advertisement remains present, including the “Keep Your Smile” slogan, product branding and SoundMate notice. 

Verso: the reverse displays the localised archival-tape repairs. The reverse and corner-detail photographs document these features of the actual sheet offered.

The poster’s display history is visible, but its colour, complete composition and clear association with The Police’s Japanese debut remain particularly appealing. It is a substantial early-tour collectible with strong graphic presence and unusually detailed Japanese campaign information.

Please review all provided photographs, including the detailed front, reverse and corner imagery—they show the exact poster offered.