Sunday May 27, 2012

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  • 0

    JustAGoodOlBoy

    Dec 30th evening, was driving and came upon a Japanese police road block. Seemingly 30+ cops standing around. Descended upon my car and said in English "alcohol check". Blew into their breathalyzer. Cop said "OK". I then nodded, waved goodbye and smiled to all them as I drove away. They nodded and smiled back and some waved back.

  • 0

    chankonabe

    First: Road block just after midnight in the middle of the inaka. The police officer was completely surprised to see a foreigner driving alone. Still obviously shocked, he said "Beer?" and motioned drinking. I said "No" and he waved me on. Didn't check my licence, vehicle registration or insurance.

    Second: Left a Chinese restaurant after lunch. I noticed a police car parked on the road in front of the restaurant with two officers inside. Didn't think anything about it. I pulled out of the parking and the police car followed me. Half a block down the street they turned on their lights and pulled me over. They came to my window and said they saw me come out of the restaurant and wanted to know if I had anything to drink. Of course I hadn't. They were quite aggressive with their questioning. Even asked me to breathe on their faces. Well, a Japanese coworker that I was having lunch with left the restaurant shortly after me and saw that I was pulled over. He stopped and his presence alone quickly changed the behaviour of the officers. They became more polite and waved me on. Like the above incident, they didn't ask for my licence, vehicle registration or insurance.

    Third: Road block at night, like #1 above. Only I was the one surprised because it was a young female officer instead of the countless male ones I'd ever seen. She asked me if I'd been drinking. I obviously hadn't. She asked to see my licence. She took it and read it thoroughly. She asked to see my vehicle registration and insurance and also looked at them thoroughly. She was polite and competent. Did a much better job than the male officers mentioned above.

  • 0

    Betting

    I've been here for close to 20 years and have never had a problem with the police at all. Maybe because I don't a bicycle? hehe.

    One night I walked home from Kichijoji to Mitaka extremely drunk and to smoke, had the smokes but no lighter. Saw a police officer on the street and asked him for a light but he said he didn't have one. He never bothered me in the slightest.

  • 0

    5SpeedRacer5

    Many years ago, I caught three Japanese "kids" (full face helmets. Were they 15? 22? Who knows?) stealing my motorbike at 3 am. I pulled one off of my bike, which they had hotwired, and beat the crap out of him as the other two sped off. In that day, I was a muscular monster, and looked like a Viking. At 3 am, I was naked from the waist up. While trying to stop my bike, which was making a lot of noise, the other kid got away. I called the police.

    They came and told me it was my fault for not keeping my bike in a garage. No charges. No investigation. No garage.

    I have had less interesting encounters since, which have usually had good or expected outcomes. I really wish they would use better judgment in most cases... or do I? Maybe their apparent lack of judgment keeps a lot of problems from occurring.

  • 0

    johnnyreb

    any time i ask the cops for directions, they point me the right way. thumbs up in my book.

  • 0

    Speed

    Ran into a cop that had just stickered a parking violation to my windshield. After I asked him about it, he asked me to go to the koban. While there, him and another clown thought "July" meant "6月" and had mistakenly thought my International driver's license had expired (which it hadn't). After explaining this to the clowns, they made what must have been ten phone calls asking lots of stupid questions.

    They both had an arrogant stuck-up attitude the whole time barking questions at me, in between calls. After an hour I got fed up with them wasting my time and told them I was going to leave, otherwise arrest me. They finally gave me back my license and not a word of apology came out of their mouths for wasting my time.

  • 0

    cliffworks

    While walking home to our family condo in Meguro I was hit by a car from behind then savagely assaulted by the Japanese driver; repeatedly kicked in the head, etc., my body left in the street when driver fled crime scene.

    Japanese eyewitnesses called ambulance and Meguro police. Police failed to give me Victim's Rights Handbook or follow any of the wonderful actions outlined therein, download it here http://www.cliffworks.net/tovictim.pdf

    Destroyed most of the evidence, all photos they took with 2 cameras, refused to send medical reports to prosecutor, only detained assailant a few hours.

    Prosecutor did not make one phone call to doctors to verify extent of medical injuries/costs. Assailant was found guilty of assault in a summary court hearing (I was never informed /invited to appear) fined & walked away, thwarting future efforts to file a criminal suit.

    I sustained permanent injuries, loss of teeth, broken nose, concussion, internal damages, loss of work /income going on 4 years now.

    Am still battling in lengthy civil suit court case. Regardless of how much court awards, if assailant refuses to pay anything he'll not be arrested, such is mockery of justice. I used to work with police throughout Asia on anti piracy for film industry and in Cambodia with INTERPOL. Never expected to be screwed like this!

    Message is clear: ANY foreigner can be assaulted by a Japanese and assailant will not be severely punished, victim may not receive one Yen in damages.

    Am setting up an NPO to help all foreigners victimized by Japanese authorities and to educate all on what to do BEFORE becoming a victim.

  • 0

    Minkx

    August, first day in Japan. I woke up at 3AM and decided to walk around and see if I could find a place to eat. Most places were closed or a little too secluded for comfort. There was also a street with many black cars and men in black suits, some wearing white gloves outside what appeared to be a nightclub or restaurant. Being a 20s foreign female walking around at that time I attracted an interesting reaction from that crowd. Lets just say, I did not turn to walk down that street. I happen to spot the Police Kiosk in the other direction and stopped by to ask for information. Two of the officers stepped outside to speak with me and point me in the direction of the nearest AM/PM. They also took note of the direction I came from and watched me walk away until I was out of view. It gave me some comfort that they were being observant. They were very polite.

  • 0

    cliffworks

    Moderatoers: I ask you to please allow all readers of JT, victims of crimes in Japan access to contact me. I am starting a multilingual portal to carry cases of victimization, wish to expose the injustices with hope it will pressure J authorities to enforce their own laws and to educate all foreigners how to legally protect themselves against victimization, how to find lawyers, etc. before / after they are victimized. All can reach me at cliffworks@gmail.com, cliff@cliffworks.net. thank you kindly

  • 0

    jamplass

    I have been stopped a few times on my bicycle and asked to show proof of registration. I was stopped in Shinjuku station and asked to show my alien registration card. I refused because the officer didn't provide any reason for the request. Personally, I have heard so many horror stories like the above that I have a general mistrust of Japanese police force to the extent that if I witnessed a crime I would probably not get involved for fear that as a foreigner I would be somehow implicated.

  • 0

    one2one

    I was on my bike and a policeman in a patrol car sported me,stopped me and asked for my alien registration card.I gave it to him which showed I had 2 more years to stay.He pulled out his cell phone and called for backup! For over 10min 2 patrol cars with 3 policemen scrutinized my ID only to find that 2 days ago they had stopped me at a different spot! wow.

  • 0

    Sarge

    The policeman in my old neighborhood lived right behind the koban where he worked with his family and his dog. The dog would be nice and quiet except whenever he saw a bicycle going by with two people on it - he would then bark up a storm, ha ha ha!

    I've been stopped countless times on my bicycle and every time I've used the encounter to practice my Japanese:

    Policeman: Kono jitensha anata no jitensha desuka?

    Me: Hai!

    Policeman: Gaikokujintorokusho motte masuka?

    Me: Hai! ( I show it to him )

    Policeman: Shosho-omachikudasai.

    Me: Hai!

    ( after a minute or so )

    Policeman ( gives me back my gaikokujintorokusho ): Hai, omataseshimashita.

    Me: Hai!

  • 0

    GW

    The single best thing to do regarding J-cops is if possible avoid at all costs the chances of bad things happening is very much a possibility.

    And if you get in an accident or are assaulted or robbed or something just pray you are one of that all too small percentile that actually get helped.

    Good luck to all, the cops simply dont care about non-japanese 98% of the time

  • 0

    itshay

    With more bad stories than good, doesn't sound like the cops are doing a fair job.

    With the above link to cliffworks and debito.org , I suggest people who are longer timers, arm themselves with this knowledge.

  • 0

    lostrune2

    Heheh, anyone calling herself "Minkx" should get an interesting reaction from that crowd.

  • 0

    TeruSensei

    I was out in the country, with a second hand ancient bicycle that had been passed down to me, and I was never stopped by police or asked about my bicycle. I used to wave at the police cars from time to time, or give them a nod while waiting at traffic lights, and they occasionally returned the gesture.

    But no exciting stories to tell.

  • 0

    cliffworks

    Thanks JT for giving us this venue to expose the mockery of justice and problems with some J police.

    I had a good relationship working with Japanese police in anti film piracy in 85-90, but when it came down to being assaulted by a Japanese punk, where the driver hit me intentionally, all sorts of terrible things happened.

    I have spent years meeting lawyers and 2 well known Japanese crime journalists, one a 20 year retired NPA official. All agree J police are above the law, have absolute control over what they choose to prosecutor and cannot be forced to open their files or be held accountable to any other authority.

    I feel as a long term 30+ year Japan resident & surviving victim I must help educate others how to prepare in case they become a victim, how to get a lawyer, there are many bozos out there, etc.

    Journalist Yu Terasawa penned a screenplay made into a film last year called Confessions of a Dog here's a You Tube clip

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DM7fj_-yNs&feature=PlayList&p=E930E58B0A917659&index=0

    Terasawa san gave me an English subtitled version, with his permission maybe I can organize a screening.

  • 0

    XXXXX

    the koban police are usually helpful with directions but their maps look ancient.

  • 0

    michaelqtodd

    Was using my laptop at Narita airport waiting for a delayed flight and the battery went flat. I plugged it in at the wall and this Japanese woman passenger went and got the police. 2 of them came back with her and made me stop. They told me I had stolen electricity that belonged to the airport. (I am not making this up!)They made a report and made me sign a paper saying I would never do this again.All in all about 45 minutes of 2 policemen`s time. Lol. There go my chances of citizenship!

  • 0

    Patrick Smash

    I was picked up once walking home and accused of burglary for no apparent reason. There were two idiot cops and one made me write my name and address in a little book he had (stacked full of romaji and katakana of course) as well as the names of two people who would vouch for my good conduct. One of them punched me in the stomach in the car while the other one kept a hand near his holster. I was probably supposed to thump him back so he could lie about the incident and have me deported.

  • 0

    Patrick Smash

    Sarge, great Japanese there mate, stirling stuff...

  • 0

    dolphingirl

    Thanks for letting us have our say on this topic, JT!

    cliffworks: What a horror you have lived through. I hope you get some justice! Or at the very least, let's hope that karma will bring something good your way and something bad for the person who did that to you.

    As for me and my experience...I shall just say that it hasn't bee positive and I am not a fan of Japanese police or the 'justice' system here at all. Cops have no common sense or good judgment and if you are a foreigner you are automatically a suspect for anything and everything so it's best just to stay far far away from the police.

  • 0

    goldsounds

    1) Had unprovoked 6am immigration raid on my house in which every official except one refused to identify themselves. Was rather traumatic actually.

    2) Stopped multiple times and asked to identify myself. I typically refuse for about 15-20 min before finally giving in since I don't want to get arrested.

    3) When I see police stopping young Japanese males for bag searches and pat-downs, I videotape the incidents. They always tell me that I don't have the right, but back down after I assert that I do. In these situations, in which I am actively placing myself, I have NEVER been asked for ID. The lesson? Get your phone out and videotape EVERY encounter you have with police here. You won't be sorry.

  • 0

    cliffworks

    JR readers can view a more in depth report of my case here: http://www.cliffworks.net/hitarun.pdf thank you for your support

  • 0

    Dualta

    I've had five experiences with policemen here in Japan, each time related to traffic infractions I committed. Three times I was fined, twice for speeding and once for driving down the wrong way in a one-way system (the third time was a genuine mistake, but the speeding wasn't). The two other times the policemen gave me the benefit of the doubt and explained how I'd broken the rules, but didn't fine me. On each occasion the police officers were very polite and respectful.

  • 0

    Laguna

    While being satisfied overall with the police here, I have had one experience being "Gatesed" (after Henry Gates, the Harvard professor arrested on his front porch). An inebriated homeless-looking guy spotted several times in my neighborhood having aroused my suspicions, I checked the windows of a vacant home across from ours (in my wife's name) and found an unlocked window leading to - an empty room. Opening the fusuma at the far side of the room, though, revealed a rats nest of rotting bento boxes and - more alarming - candles and a konro: this old wooden house aflame would have surely spread to ours. So I called the police and explained the situation. They arrived quickly and spent the first ten minutes grilling me on my status: marriage, visa status, employment, residence - all while I was standing on my own front porch! I cooperated, of course, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Guess I thought all the cops knew me around here, especially as they send one over periodically for an interview to update their files.

    In the end, they did evict the guy, handing over the case to the local welfare board and leaving the neighborhood to clean up the mess.

  • 0

    tmarie

    Lost my wallet and went to the local Koban to report it. The guy was very good, very polite and in the end my wallet was found and the guys at the police station were very sweet and helpful.

    Had Japanese friends stopped for a bike check while I was with them. Were nice and polite and they didn't ask me anything at all.

    Asked for directions when I couldn't find a place and the guys sent me off in the wrong directions - will agree with the bad maps!!

    Overall I don't know anyone here who has had a bad time expect for being stopped on bikes. Since I've seen them stop numerous Japanese as well I think sometimes the foreigners are a little to quick to get upset and over-react.

  • 0

    nandakandamanda

    Generally good experiences in the last 30 years here. The police did their job, and even when I was in the wrong I could not fault their professionalism.

    A couple of times I have been genuinely shocked at how much of my private life they were aware of.

    Unfortunately they were unsympathetic and uncooperative when I reported that my 7-yr old daughter had been molested by a (Jnr/Snr?)High School student, not even bothering to ask for or take down the vivid description we had prepared on the way to the police station. Perhaps they are better at this kind of awareness nowadays.

    Many of them also seem unable to think outside the box, which can be frustrating.

    Generally I'd give them an 85-90% track record in my experiences with them. (Mustn't praise them too much, they might be reading this! LOL)

  • 0

    Sarge

    Patrick Smash: "Sarge, great Japanese there mate, stirling stuff"

    Thank you. All credit to the Japanese police! But did you mean stirring stuff or sterling stuff?

  • 0

    seesaw

    Good: the J Police are polite. Bad: Jobs not done!

  • 0

    ca1ic0cat

    I've always found the koban good for directions.

    One night I ran into a gaijin friend drunk, lost, and surrounded by J-cops at Sagaimi-ono station. Right on the platform for the Odakyu line. I said "sumimasen" grabbed him by the collar and tossed him on an express for Ebina. I don't know if the cops were too surprised to pursue the few feet or happy to be rid of him but that was the last I heard of it until the next morning; Frank was telling everybody at the office how he got lost.

  • 0

    KitsuneYoukai

    While I was running through a train station with friends to catch a train when I was stopped by undercover j-cops who asked where I was from and my name. I had to say it in English. They were looking for someone who it seems I resembled. They were courteous and said sorry.

  • 0

    krsendai

    ****Do you really wanna know? Ive been blessed to have come and go in Japan, for over 20 years..At one point, I was not stopped in 5 years...did everything imaginable that a crazy gaijin would do and they think we do anyway...drunk/out of control half the time...chasing pretty and not so pretty women, wearing short skirt...just being real and making out in japanese countless times, dont fault me, I was a young English teacher..what you expect..come on......

    Id guess cause, I acted like some of them do half the time..Japanese Police didnt care...never pretended to be Japanese..Oh, they let me know, quickly enough.PLEASE JUST BECAUSE, YOU BEEN HERE 50 Years, YOU SPEAK JAPANESE, YOU AIN`T JAPANESE..SO WHEN THEY STOP YOU, BE YOURSELF AND SPEAK ENGLISH...they respect you more...they could give a hoot, if you speak Japanese..or if your wife Japanese or whatever...might probe a lil more, maybe YOU, kidnapped her...I am serious...

    The question I always, get is, when are you leaving..so, I telling (tommorrow or the day after)..they like jokes..twist their minds a little...DO YOU KNOW, IT IS ONLY A GAME, TO GET YOU ANGRY AND FLUSTERED, TAKE IT FROM A PRO..STAY CALM AND CALL A LAWYER, QUICK..DOCUMENT EVERY MOVE THEY MAKE...WIT YOUR DOCOMO GOOGLE PHONE..AS SOMEONE ELSE SAID..O.K.

    So, after not being stopped for 5 years..arrived back here last year..and have been quickly stopped like (5) times..in the span of 4 months..you figure..guess some of my Japanese scent and flavor had left me...things have calmed down a bit, but, I know, that THEY ALWAYS WATCHING ME...as I go to and fro..like Iam gonna take a Georgia Kohii Can coffee from my local Family Mart and not pay...steal from the Japan..oops, homeless guys, who cuss and fight, daily at my station, but arent bothered by them..That, I am gonna jump the turnstile in broad-daylight or steal the Japan Times and look for a job....right....

    They stopped me once, in broad daylight, it has always been in broad daylight...I asked them why, in English...didnt show no gaiijin card...they told me that someone about 5 miles away, had seen a gaiijin walking round and called (110)...aint making this up either..truth be told...go ahead laugh..they made my day, hope the story made you feel GOD..

    Listen, don`t be hard on them...they are human and get arrested too....they just doing what they have been trained to do..since they were lil pups at pimary school...one for all, all for one...Good morning, how are you....may I see your gaijin card..

    peace everybody

  • 0

    LostinNagoya

    The same traumatic experience three times: alone or with foreigne friends, police stopped us inside the huge JR Towers arcade beside Nagoya Station, based solely on our blond or different complexion. A lot of stupid questions, some of my friends got really aggressive with all the questioning in English or Japanese, as if we were fleeing Interpol in our own countries. The last time I was really sharp and aggressive in Japanese, which caused them to apologize and let me go. The traumatic aspect is the 1,000 or so pedestrians who stop to watch police treat you very as the "very dangerous gaijin". If Japanese citizens won't make you feel a fish out of water, police will. It's my motto. It's one of the reasons I list to my friends for not visiting Japan.

  • 0

    buggerlugs

    Never trust the cops. Never sign anything!! Take it from me once you sign it they will screw you. Ignore their threats and call your embassy for advice. Document everything.

  • 0

    timorborder

    The good, the bad and the ugly.

    Had a number of run-ins with the police over the years,none of them really bad. One I remember was being out at dinner with my brother-in-law. On leaving a restaurant we were accosted by two young cops who wanted to see my registration card. This had rather unexpected results, however, as my brother-in-law told the nice young officers quite bluntly to kxss his bxtt. They were going to arrest him and they dragged him down the koban. S hit the F, however, when their watch commander recognized my brother in law as a former judo instructor at the National Policy Academy (and current squad leader in the NPA's organized crime squad). Before you blink, out came the tea and bickies.

  • 0

    cleo

    There's one police officer who regularly lets herself into my house, raids my fridge, fondles my dogs and takes over my telly.

  • 0

    tkoind2

    A friend got hit by a scooter just 200 meters or so away from a Koban. I helped her to the Koban where we called for help. The cop there refused to help us because the spot where she was hit, within viewable distance, was in another town's jurisdiction. He refused to call help from the other town and suggested we walk to the next koban which was very far away. Useless moron!

    Same area, a prowler tried to enter my window. I discovered he was there and chased him away with a bat. I called the police who seemed very grumpy at having been called out on a hot summer evening. The older of three who arrived said nothing and looked pissed off the entire time. The middle cop, about 30 something, milled about in the street taking some kind of notes.

    The third, a young cop in his early 20's was very helpful, checked everything, asked if I was ok and tried to do his job. I ended up feeling bad for him. I could imagine in a few years he would move through the stages of his two partners. From trying to look busy, to obviously not giving a care.

    Depressing. Result, cops here had best be thankful that Japan is a difficult to enter island. If real criminals ever get onto this island, they will have no chance against them.

  • 0

    Patrick Smash

    I had another one. I dropped my wallet and went to koban to report. First thing they did was take my fingerprints. After about 20 minutes of filling in forms and dodgy looks between themselves, one of the cops handed me my wallet back in a brown envelope, less the 40,000-yen that had originally been in it of course. I am fairly sure the money was in there when it was handed in as they would not allow me to reward the person who had done that. What kind of police force fingerprints people reporting lost property?

  • 0

    michaelqtodd

    Do you not think that gaijin in Japan create their own reality with Police? All these posters proudly saying "I refused to show my ID card for 20 mins,...I`m suing the police... I film every J-cop patting down a Japanese suspect...told police to kiss his butt" etc Is this how the Japanese treat their Police? Is this how you treat Police back home? Why not start making their jobs as easy as possible and they will then start making things as easy as possible for you.99% of them are just fellow citizens doing their jobs,jobs which are occassionally extremely dangerous and stressful.Show gratitude for that and good feeling will flow back to you.

  • 0

    cleo

    Wot michaelqtodd said.

  • 0

    Richard_the_First

    It's best not to piss them off, me thinks.

  • 0

    Sarge

    Patrick Smash - You're lucky to have your wallet back at all, with or without the cash. Heck, the other stuff you have in there is probably way more important tan the 40,000 yen, am I right? And I'd bet 40,000 yen your 40,000 yen was gone before the cops got it. Oh, yeah, and by taking your fingerprints they were able to confirm the wallet is yours! Pretty neat, huh!

  • 0

    Weasel

    Show gratitude for that and good feeling will flow back to you.

    What ever you're drinking, I want half.

  • 0

    tkoind2

    "Why not start making their jobs as easy as possible and they will then start making things as easy as possible for you.99% of them are just fellow citizens doing their jobs,jobs which are occassionally extremely dangerous and stressful.Show gratitude for that and good feeling will flow back to you."

    MichaelQtodd. We are protected under Japanese law and mutual treaty with our home countries to have the same level of treatment and protection under the law and local Japanese. But in practice this is usually not the case.

    If a police force treats legally present residents with suspicion, unwarranted searches and processing and fails to uphold their treaty given responsibilities, then it is wrong to aquiess and tolerate such behavior.

    One of my staff is Asian and has been frequently stopped and checked by police. Whereas I, very obviously of European descent have never experienced this. Our fashion is similar, our behavior similar and our economic and social classes similar. The defining difference for him, and other minorities who tell similar stories, is that they are Asia or non-Europeans and therefore subject to suspicion and mistreatment by the authorities. This is wrong.

    Police must have a reason to stop you. They must have just cause to request to see your ID or to keep you in an office for some reason. They are required under treaty to treat us with equal respect. But they do not and when they violate these guidelines, they should be confronted for doing so.

    If we give in to illegal or inapropriate activities and treatment by the authorities, we do so with downstream negative impact to all of us. Japan needs our labor, our companies, our tax payments and our participation in their economy to keep this nation afloat. The police and other authorities should respect our legally sanctioned presence and honor their obligations to treat us justly and fairly. When they do not, we should push back!

  • 0

    Patrick Smash

    Sarge, nearly. My gaijin ID card was in the wallet and I had a passport on me, making fingerprinting unnecessary at best. The cops knew me anyway as I had arrested a burglar in the area a few weeks earlier. Yes, massive relief to get the wallet back at all, but that was a lot of Guinness money gone, and the way the police were acting I am 75% sure they took the cash. It's great that someone handed the wallet in; a wonderful aspect of the country, but this thread is about encounters with the police, and that part was not a good experience.

  • 0

    goddog

    I kicked one out of my house because they refused to do anything about this yelping dog across the street.

  • 0

    WitchDoctor

    I have lived in Japan for 18 years and never had any problem with Japanese police. In all these years I have been asked five times in the street to show my Alien card. I did that without any argument because I know that the police are doing their job. The police officers in all these occasions ended up saluting and apologizing to me. And as a black man and an African I don't think I can get this kind of treatment from any police officers of all the countries of the world including my own.

    There is one thing that we gaijins in Japan need to understand, Japanese police are not only asking foreigners to show their ID cards or being searched in the streets. The same is being done to Japanese nationals all the time in the street. And the street searching is done to Japanese nationals more it is done to us foreigners. So as you move around in japan especially in big train stations, pay attention and one day you will see the police doing that to Japanese.

    For me personally Japanese police are the best police officers to deal with in the whole world if you have a good manner of approach and follow the laws of this country.

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    I have been here for nearly 20 years, the first few years I worked for a Japanese company which meant that I usually returned home on the last train, just about every night I would be stopped and asked to show my “gaijin card” which I did without fuss it came to the point that I no longer got asked because I ended up knowing just about every officer in my neighbourhood.

    I used to travel a lot around Japan for business and have been stopped for just about any reason to show my ID, on one occasion when arriving at a local airport (with no international flights ) I was stopped by a non uniform officer who demanded to see my passport I showed him my valid “gaijin card” but he insisted that I show my passport (which I didn't have on me seeing I live here and all you need is a valid up to date “gaijin card), he was about to have me arrested until the president of a very powerful local business that I was working with showed up and gave him Sh!t, only then did he finally relent and let me leave!

    In the last 5 years I have been stopped no less than 15 times in my car for reasons ranging from “ are your winkers working” , “ what country are you from” and my favourite “ why are you driving here”! These are all followed by the inevitable “ Can we check your car and bags”!

    The first 5 or 6 times I cooperated but then it just got stale and now I just go strait on the offensive and ask why I'm being stopped, refuse to let them check my car and insist that then call for their superior officer and then start calling my Embassy! Requesting that they call for their superior usually ends things right there and then, on the odd occasion that that is insufficient calling or pretending to call your Embassy while demanding the officers names so you can report them most definitely ends things!

    I have been dragged out of my bed at 3:00 AM along with (at the time) my 2 elementary school age Japanese children and questioned for 6 hours because of a robbery in my area (even though no description was ever given of the perpetrator, I later found out that the only reason I was questioned was because someone said that a “gaijin” live nearby.

    I am not Japanese but my children are and after seeing how their father was treated that night, they now have not trust in the police even though I have tried to explain that this was just an exception and if they are in trouble they should still call or look for the police, they still get nervous whenever a police car passes us!

  • 0

    bobbafett

    My friend got drunk and smashed a door at a bar in Tokyo so the bar owners called the cops. My friend ran so I dragged him back because our other friends were being detained on account of him. I talked the cops into letting me take my friend home and that we would return the next day to make reparation for the door.

    Me and the cops had a great laugh about the whole thing. There was even back slapping and handshakes. I think if you smile and are amiable the cops are fine.

    Next I always take my son to the supermarket and there are cops everywhere there because of the Chinese consulate. My son always stops to talk with the cops and they are so friendly to him.

    The cops near my house are so nice. They patrol the streets, have never asked me for ID and always take time out to give attention to kids. They even put their hat on my son and pose for photos.

    The cops in Americamura, Osaka are also so kind. My son had so many questions about the police car and the cop answered all of them with a big smile on his face.

    I have been stopped once in 3 years while walking down Midosuji, Osaka at 2 am. After checking my Alien Card they let me go on my way without any fuss. They were polite the whole time.

    The only bad time I have had with them is when I went to a Koban in Bentencho, Osaka to ask for directions. They asked to see my alien card and did a quick check on me, and then helped me on my way.

    It was unpleasant to be treated with suspicion like that but I heard from a friend that there have been quite a few Iranians arrested for drugs and burglary around Bentencho so I can understand the cops position.

  • 0

    bdiego

    The Koban police are generally polite and very helpful. The undercover police hanging around Tokyo's JR stations are racist and treat you like a criminal if you don't look Japanese. They demand my alien registration papers which I don't have since I'm actually a tourist in Japan for two weeks, and once I show them my passport and the stamp that shows I haven't overstayed my visa they move on.

    It's not even that they are stopping people and asking for their documents, it's that they are racial profiling and treat you like a criminal until you prove otherwise. More importantly, you have to take their word that the badge they just showed you is legit, when you read in the newspaper all the times some criminal flashes a fake badge to rob people in a shakedown.

    I filed a complaint about these people asking if they were real cops or criminals, but since you have to file this complaint with the police they really don't care. This is only in Tokyo JR stations, thanks to the racist Tokyo mayor.

    BTW this happened to me 8 times, 3 times within one day.

  • 0

    bdiego

    Also I should mention that before they show their badge they ask you to stop, and since I don't plan on stopping for a total random stranger they will grab you by the arm and force you to stop. At this point they haven't even identified themselves as cops and they're dressed to blend in, so the first time I assumed I was being attacked by a crazy lunatic.

  • 0

    notimpressed

    I recently got woken up by a Police officer ringing my doorbell on a saturday morning. I was sleeping off the booze form the night before and was freezing at the doorstep, while he took my name,age, country of origin, place of employment, how long I have been in Japan etc down in a little notebook for Gaijin profiling. When he asked for my cell phone number I asked if he asks everyone these questions? He let that go, and said, ' oh yeah, theres a thief in the area, so I'm just going around the neighbourhod. See ya!!' ...no questions of whether I had seen anything or anyone suspicious lately, as obviously his enquiries around my neighborhood had already led him to the suspicious gaijins house. He also di not go to any other doors.

    Other than being racially profiled while hungover in my own house, the police have been good. I got a wallet back when I dropped it in Osaka, got let off for making an illegal U-turn. Other wise no run ins in 3 years. Other friends have not had it so sweet though, and I must admit I was disappointed in being profiled as the neighborhood bad guy, even if he was polite.

  • 0

    chuckers

    On my most recent encounter, I was coming home from the park on my bike. On the way home, the right winger nuts were out in force with their loud speakers, yelling at a politician. The police were out in force as well to make sure things didn't get out of hand.

    I stopped my bike in front of a young constable and had a conversation (in the local patois) along the lines of:

    Me: Excuse me, what are they whinging about?

    Constable: Well, as you can hear, they are up in arms about the usual.

    M: Anything you can do about it? They are being a public nuisance!

    C: Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do if all they are doing is yelling.

    M: Well, I will allow that they are allowed to exercise their right to free speech but I wish they would do it quietly. Have a good day!

    C: You, too!

    And off I went on my bike.

    Reading sites like Debito's only seems to promote unneccessary paranoia. Like michaelqtodd said, most of the boys (and girls) in blue are just doing their jobs. Sure, there are @$$holes in uniform, but there are probably a larger number of troublemakers (both foreign and native) that give more grief than they actually get. A number of people on this board are proving that.

  • 0

    michaelqtodd

    After around 7 years living here during the last 17 years I have never once been asked for my alien registration card nor have I ever had a policeman come to my home.This is despite the fact that many Japanese say that my dark hair and olive skin make me look middle eastern/Iranian. A gaijin sub=group that I hear gets more attention from the Police than anyone.Just asked my Chinese friend and she has been here for 11 years without ever being asked for hers either.What do you guys wear around to get picked on so much? Balaclavas? Like it or not we are seen by Japanese people and /or Police as a small group. Thus bad or even unfriendly or uncooperative behaviour by one of us will draw an adverse reaction to our whole group. So lets make a massive effort to be as nice and friendly and grateful to the Police as possible

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    Michaelqtodd; "What do you guys wear around to get picked on so much? Balaclavas?" "So lets make a massive effort to be as nice and friendly and grateful to the Police as possible"

    As I mentioned I have been here nearly 20 years, I generally wear a suit, I am a single father of 2 Japanese children and have lived in the same place for the entire time I have been here.

    I keep all my document up to date and have had only one parking ticket 15 years ago (parked without thinking when I drove my Ex to the hospital the night my daughter was born) and have never been involved in any situation that would bring me even slightly to the attention of the police! But that has not changed the fact that I am regularly questioned as to why I am driving in my own neighbourhood (with my children in the car) or why I'm coming out of the 24 hour supermarket near my home (with bags of groceries) and why I am coming out of the building where I work!

    In the last 5 years I have become so paranoid that I now carry my passport along with my “gaijin card” and proof of custody of my children, my son has gotten so frustrated that now when I get stopped he starts yelling at the police even before they say anything!

    But if I understand some of the people posting here, we are just suppose to take it all and smile!

    Well could these same people tell me how I am suppose to explain to my 2 Japanese children that as some of you have put it “the police are just doing there job” especially when most of their friends parents have never had anything remotely close happen to them!

  • 0

    kirakira25

    Wow! I obviously look dodgy! I had a guy come to my house and ask lots of questions, although he was very polite and friendly, but it was obvious he was checking out the gaijin in the area.

    I got busted for a VERY minor traffic offense just the other day, switching from one lane to another because I needed to go round the corner and stop as my baby was screaming in the back seat and I couldn`t see what the problem was so I was worried. There were no cars near me at all, so I carefully reversed about 5 metres and switched to the left hand lane. Unfortunately I did it right in front of the koban, and within seconds there was a rap rap on the window. I apologised and explained that the baby was crying and I was worried, and he waved me on without a problem after wagging a finger at me and telling me not to do it again.

    The worst though, was when a crazy stressed out salaryman kicked my pram with my baby in it because I had the nerve to complain that he had just pushed in the queue in front of me. He then stood over me (big guy) threateningly whispering at me. I had the two kids with me at the time, and I was so scared so I asked the supermarket to call the police to make sure I could get home safely. They arrived and the guy told them I attacked him, ran over his foot with the pram and he thinks it might be broken (no limp, patent leather shoes without a mark on them) and the officer automatically yelled at me, making my 3 year old cry, and then arrested me!!! They took me and the kids to the police station. The policeman was all puffed out and proud of himself for nabbing the foreigner. When we arrived a lovely old guy was there who could see exactly what was going on, and told the guy who had accused me not to worry, they were checking the CCTV footage for "evidence" of my "assault". He immediately dropped all accusations against me and basically legged it and they let me go! I asked the old guy how he knew the truth and he said "Simple, what 5`4" mother with two small children in tow in her right mind would attack a guy over 6 feet with a pram with the baby in it at the time?!"

    Nice police work!

  • 0

    jason6

    Being of asian descent and dressing according to Japanese style, I haven't been racially profiled like most incidents I have read. But let me tell you, I can attest that police will stop non-foreigners for improper reasons too.

    For example I was driving home one day and had done a legal U-turn at an intersection when I was pulled over. I assumed the U-turn was bad, but they concocted some lame excuse that I had run a red light when I was clearly in the green. To make things worse I had left my international driver's permit at home.. luckily they let me off with no problems, but I could never figure out why they had stopped me in the first place.

  • 0

    notimpressed

    haha, yeah michaelqtodd, I walk around the neighbourhood streets in a balaclava, and no pants, thats why they turned up at my doorstep.

    No, after three years in the same apartment, 99% of neighbors still won't return a simple Konnichiwa on a sunny day, no how spic n span I am. I am just the suspiscious outsider no matter what I do. I'm used to it, but disappointed all the same.

    My experiences with the police pale in comparison to most stories, but the mere fact of being foreign is not anough of a reason to be questioned as to your quality of character, or to be an immediate suspect. I thought we were all living in big technologically and socially advanced cities, not medieval villages who have reason to fear outsiders, or horseless carriages for that matter.

    Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesnt happen alot. I know this because I get off lucky while others I know don't. We should also get at least the same level of service/ protection. It is ridiculous to read of people getting the tables turned on them when they are the victims. For me, so far so good, but I don't look forward to my luck running out, because in all honestly, being foreign and getting a fair shake from the police in Japan is at best, lucky.

  • 0

    Nessie

    There's one police officer who regularly lets herself into my house, raids my fridge, fondles my dogs and takes over my telly.

    Please dispatch that officer to my place. I have no dogs, but we can improvise.

  • 0

    chuckers

    Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesnt happen alot.

    Likewise, just because it HAS happened to you doesn't mean it happens alot.

  • 0

    bdaniel08

    I have been living in Tokyo fore more than 35 years, a long time ago many stops from policemen to show them my "gaijin torokusho" but not for 20 years...dont know why ! One detail...i have been moving a lot and each time ater 2 or 3 months in my new appartment or house, they pay me a visit to ask me a lot of question about me, stupids questions because they are supposed to know everything about me, so i always tell them : look at your central computer and you will got your answers about me. Recently (3 years ago) he gave me a green folder with still a lot of questions in Japanese and English, i said i will never write these answers for the same reason, he told me he will come back another day to take it back...he never came back.

  • 0

    Patrick Smash

    I think the gaijincard thing is connected to age and time. Wandering around late at night as a youngster you get asked sometimes. As a 40 yo professional in a suit at 8:00pm you probably don't. I have been checked four times in sixteen years, three of the four late at night.

  • 0

    bobbafett

    oh and the other night I got out of a taxi outside the Koban and there was another taxi there with the drunk, shouting, middle-aged passenger outside and an army of cops around him and a pissed off taxi driver giving details.

    I paid my fair and walked past the cops (I must have been stinking of shochu) at 3am, went to Lawsons and bought some Yougrt, a can of chu-hi and some water, then walked back past the cops who had taken up all the footpath and they merely moved aside to let me through.

    I say some people heap a lot of crap upon themselves with the way they carry themselves let alone they way they react in different situations.

  • 0

    Antonios_M

    Wow, so many stories of people accusing the Japanese police.

    On the other hand, i have never encountered any Japanese police officers asking me for the gaijincard and each and every one i have asked for directions was very kind to me. One of them literally took me by hands when i asked him the direction to the subway in Sakae, Nagoya.

  • 0

    ilcub76

    My next door neighbor's grandson was crying all night (baba wouldn't turn on the air or even close the windows), so I stopped by the local koban to ask if the police could do something about it. Before the young cop answered my question, he kept asking me why my Japanese was so good. He ended up telling me that there was no "disturbing the peace" statutes, so officially he couldn't do anything, but he did offer to knock on her door and ask her to keep the noise down.

    As far as the gaijin card checks, I've lived in smaller towns in Fukuoka prefecture for 8 years now, and never once been stopped, even when I go into the city. I also travel several times a year throughout Japan, and have never had the privilege of being stopped.

    On the other hand, when I went through Narita Airport Customs last week, the lady asked me in English how long I would be in Japan, and when I showed her my gaijin card, she apologized and let me right through.

  • 0

    bobbafett

    My next door neighbor's grandson was crying all night

    and you went to the police? The kid could have had a life threatening fever. It so selfish of you to go to the cops because a child is crying.

    If you were a genuine person, and you know your neighbors, why didn't you just ring their door bell and ask if everything was ok?

  • 0

    egrover

    Wow... I just read a lot of the posts and nothing is close to my experiences in Japan. I have had some terrifying experiences involving police, attorneys, etc during a 4 year stint in Japan. I don’t know where to begin so I will start with an introduction on myself. I was in my mid-20‘ｓ while living in Tokyo. I moved to Japan to work as an English Instructor from the United States. In my first year in Japan I encountered the usual Gaijin Torokusho check a few times. (No problem) The story gets good from now. I was teaching English at Toita Joshi High School in setagaya-ku and on my way home from work I was riding the train and directly in front of me I witnessed a “Chikan” (molestation) on the train. 40’s something man and maybe 15 year old school girl. I instantly grabbed him at which time he hit me and I hit him back. The next stop which was Ikebukuro I dragged him off the train. The JR workers and Police soon arrived. The young girl as well as some witness also got off the train. Long story short..the girl said that the man had been touching her since she got on the train at Ebisu and the witness ( Japanese Female) also confirmed the story. Result- police tell the women to shut up and go home. I am told to pay the man $500 (５万円) for damage to his suit and for injury from my punch. My suit was also ruined in the scuffle as well as a scratch to the side of my face. I was told if I don’t pay I will be arrested…scared I payed the money on the spot. In turn he gave the young girl half of my money right in front of me. I am getting upset even recalling this in my mind. My story will get better. I didn’t give up on Japan due to this one bad episode, this bad police work could happen anywhere and I am sure does so I just sucked it up. It was a good thing I did because my life got extremely better….or so I thought at that time. I was lucky enough to land a job for TOKYO MX TV as a TV regular on a show airing M-F at 5pm. The job was really cool. It was the most exciting thing my life had ever seen. I felt that I was really being accepted in Japan and was grateful for the opportunity. Well, I was wrong. BAD EPISODE#2 I was drinking coffee in the Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing with a friend and waiting for another friend when I was approached in the coffee shop by police. This really surprised me, but more than that I was totally embarrassed as everyone was looking. I was told to come across the street to the koban and answer some questions in regards to stealing a cell phone and an assault. Ofcourse I said this is ridiculous and I definitely would not go. This was followed by maybe 8 more officers coming into the coffee shop. Seeing this was a no-win situation I agreed. I told my friend to wait there for me. I then was asked to get into a patrol car even though the koban was within 50 meters of where I was. I got in the car and was driving to a much larger police station about 500 meters North of that koban. I was taken into a room and questioned. The police told me that I was pointed out by a Street Scout and this guy said that I had assaulted him and stole his cell phone roughly a month before right here in Shibuya. Angry, I asked what evidence or reason did they have to just pluck me out of Shibuya as a potential criminal. My answer was that the Street Scout had filed a report a month before and on the report he stated that a foreigner with blonde hair and sunglasses stole his cell phone and assaulted him. Also, that he had just spotted me go into Starbucks so he ran to the koban to get the police. Thus, me sitting in an Interrogation room. After, hours of questioning I was formally arrested for a crime I didn’t do and completely denied as well. I was given sweat pants and a sweat shirt and thrown in a cell with a man from Iran that spoke great English named Hasan. Hasan told me he was there waiting his being sent to Fuchu Prison. I was kept in my cell all day except for the exercise time which was about 10 minutes of smoking for all the inmates on my floor..Also we were let out to wash our hands and face before meals as well as a final time to get out mats out of a closet before sleeping. I stayed here for about a week before I was sent on a bus with inmates from many different jails in the Tokyo area to the Tokyo Courts. After my bus group was filed into yet again smaller temporary jail cells and all hand cuffed to one another.. we sat and waited for out turn. Finally after about 4 hours I was called out and sent up stairs to see a prosecutor. I quickly explained to her my story and I begged her to call my TV Station and explain my situation. I new the show must be in trouble without me as I was part of a live on air program that left almost 25 minutes of the hourly show to my corner. She said she would do that as well as she said she would call and verify my alibi for the day that this street scout said I attacked him. The day I supposedly attacked him I was in saitama at Jusco buying some dress clothes which I had a receipt for as well as other receipt from that day. But the topper was going to be my girlfriend verifying that we were together the entire day in saitama close to where she lived. Anyway I was led back to the shibuya jail the same way I came and within hours my name was called and I ws told I was free to leave. I was given my items from the day I was arrested and told to go. I was never given anyany apology or better yet documentation of the event. Upon my release I instantly called my gf and she said that a few hours earlier that the prosecutor called her and asked her if she could recall the date at hand and if she could locate the receipts for my dress clothes. Luckily she did and I was released. However, the police called my gf and asked her to come in for questioning the very next day which she did. They questioned her for 3 hours followed by another 3 hours the day after. That seemed to be the end of that…or so I thought. As a result of being arrested and not showing up for the television show I was fired/released from the show. No job equals no money and no guarantor for my apartment. I was forced to give up my apartment while looking for a new job as well as all my belongings. My friend who was kind enough to let me stay with him only had a 1DK apt. It was very crampt! I debated on returning to the USA but in my mind I felt once I got on my feet I would have some real good fire power for a lawsuit. I finally was lucky enough to land an ALT position working way up in Saitama. I took over for a teacher that had left in the middle of the teaching term. I started working there and a few months went by and I was getting a little bit of money saved and thought I was going to get back on my feet ….and then it happened! The last day of classes before the summer break. Friday, July 13th 2007 (Friday the 13th) I was in class teaching.. when my cell phone began to vibrate over and over. Someone was calling me franticly but since I was teaching I could not answer the call. As soon as the class was over I looked at my phone and it was my friend/roommate. I instantly called him back. He said that about 45 min prior there was a knock on his door.. when he answered it there was about 30 men there looking for me. He said they were yelling and screaming and looking for me. He said they claimed to be police but looked more like mafia. After they forced there way into his room they saw I was not there…he told them that he had not seen me for a few days and he couldn’t help them. He asked them why they were looking for me and they refused to give him and answer other than this is a BIG DEAL and he is in a lot of trouble. One of the men left a business card with my friend. After they left his room he called me and told me the story. Upon hearing this and being more scared than I had ever before. .. I instantly left the school. Luckily I had my passport in my drawer at school… I instantly went towards kawagoe station and withdrew as much money from my bank account as I could and then proceeded to H.I.S. travel agency to buy a 1 way ticket home. The soonest flight I could get on was departing the next morning. I made my way towards narita and stayed the night in an Internet Café. The next morning I went to the airport and flew back to the USA. If you have read this far than I will continue with a bit more. After returning to the USA I started to contact attorneys in Japan. After many attempts I found one attorney that spoke perfect English and claimed she could help me. She said she would find out who these men were that were looking for me and why. She said she would call and speak with the person that had left the business card with my friend. She said I needed to send her around $2000 first before she could move forward. Thinking this would help I sent the money…which led her to asking for more and more money with nothing getting done. I finally, told her I would not send her more money unless she could start giving me some answers to what this whole nightmare was… at this time she e-mailed me and said she was removing herself as my attorney. Just so you know this attorneys name is Terada. This has turned into a novel of sorts but its all true. I have never committed a crime in Japan or anywhere for what that means. However, due to a corrupt/racist police system in Japan I have been terrorized. If you want to know more details please feel free to ask. Eric

  • 0

    LostinNagoya

    God, Egrover!, what a story. I have heard terrible things foreigners have experienced abroad, but yours topped them all. But you are a smart, very smart, leaving Japan ASAP when these men went looking for you. Thank God you are safe in US. I wonder about all those missing foreigners in Japan.

  • 0

    WitchDoctor

    Egrover, Wow this is a terrible story. But I have a question for you. When you were in Shibuya police station, why didn't you alert the US embassy? I am sure the story would have been different had the US embassy stepped in. The embassy might have not done anything about the mafia side of your story though. But with the police things wouldn't have gone that far.

  • 0

    egrover

    LostinNagoya- Thanks for your words. I was sure that people would judge me in a more negative way about my situation, but to my surprise you were very positive. Thank You. I had visited to Nagoya a few times while living in Japan. I currently work for a company here in the USA that’s headquarters is located directly in front of Nagoya Station.

    WitchDoctor- After my 3rd day being jailed a representative from the US Embassy came to visit me. He was a Japanese American and very supportive of my situation. He told me since I was already incarcerated they could not do much for me. He told me that in Japan, detectives have 30 days to hold a suspect while doing an investigation on any case. After the 30 days they have the right to ask the courts for another 15 days. At this time if the perpetrator has not admitted to the crime or there is not enough evidence then the person will be released. As I was a foreigner I was listed as a flight risk, thus not given the chance at any type of bail. The embassy then asked for my family’s contact info in which they contacted my mother to tell her my situation.

    It is sad and very bothersome not knowing what or who is looking for me in Japan, as well as why I could not find anyone to help me. What really hurts more is that my degree from university is in Japanese. Growing up my family was host to many Japanese exchange students. Before moving to Japan I really focused on a goal of living there and trying to adapt to a new culture. I thought I would stay in Japan forever. I feel that Japanese people in general are very kind and understanding as well as more respectful than that of people in other parts of the world. However, on the other hand the police/government has a much different view about foreigners in Japan. This makes me sad. I moved to Japan for the right reasons, but when I was there I met many foreigners that moved there for the wrong ones. (not everyone of course, but some) the worst part about that is they are still there and I am here. (涙)

    Thanks for your support! 

  • 0

    harr7959

    I have spent 2 years in Japan, in 2006 and again in 2008. During both of the times that I lived in Japan I had nothing but good experiences with the Japanese police. When I am lost in Japan, I go to the koban and they help me. When I need help with local issues, I go directly to the police and speak with them. They have been incredibly helpful on EVERY occasion. I have lived in Tokyo and Kyoto, and spent time in several smaller towns in Japan. I have had no problems in any of these places! I have never been asked for a Gaijin card or stopped for no reason.

    However. I do not go out to pary very much in Japan, I do not go in public if I am drunk, I do not fight, and I do not call attention to myself. I work as an architect, I am respectful to my neighbors, and I get a lot of respect back. I feel like the people on this message board have lived in a totally different Japan than I have. I have serious questions about whether or not the people who have had bad experiences have caused it to happen to themselves through their actions.

    I will be moving to Japan in May, with no plans to return to the United States. I feel, when in the USA, that I live in a police state. In Japan, I feel very comfortable. I also accept the fact that foreigners have a bad rap and deserve most of it. So, I will accept a certain ammount of profiling because I realize that a lot of gaijin do not come to Japan for good reasons and are the cause of an unequal ammount of violence and crime. I hope my experiences remain positive, and I will for sure push for changes in some of the legislation that creates an atmosphere of distrust between the Japanese and their foreign guests.

  • 0

    bdiego

    99% of Japan I'll never be asked for my documents, and I've literally traveled and seen Japan more than most Japanese ever will. But spend 10 minutes in any Tokyo JR station without moving along and they'll ask you if you're Asian but not Japanese. This was a policy change in recent years, and it only happens on the Yamanote line of JR - they're at every single station. I've been stopped at Gotanda, Ueno, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Shinagawa, Yurakucho, and so on. All while minding my own business using the train to get from point A to B.

    The undercover officers tend to hang around the exit of stairways from the tracks where everyone passes by. The undercover cops will stop me over everyone else because I'm clearly not Japanese but Asian. In fact, otaku have reported being constantly harassed to and they've put up video evidence to this effect that they're being specifically profiled and targeted. If I were white, it wouldn't be the same but the moment I speak English and explain I'm a tourist they change their tone. I used to speak Japanese with an accent which immediately caused them to treat me like a criminal!

  • 0

    diggerdog

    wow what a story, im glad i live in a little village and not tokyo. The fact that they can arrest and hold you with out producing ANY evidence is just crazy, and a serious breach of human rights i would of thought. I am just surprised that the japanese people and government arent more embarrassed by having this kind of 18th century police force. Were you even offered a lawyer or any sort of legal advice? Do you have that right in japan as you do in the uk?

  • 0

    bdiego

    I do want to point out that all I have to do to never meet an undercover cop is not use the Yamanote line in Tokyo JR, or hold hands with my wife when I do. That's not the point - if I want to go to Akihabara to shop or walk the park in Ueno by myself I'm probably going to get stopped by undercover officers. I could also live in Yokohama or another city where this just doesn't happen to this degree.

    They've never stopped me when I traveled with my wife, only when I'm by myself. And undercover cops are a whole different story compared to the regular cops who do in fact stop Japanese equally and are much more professional in general. These guys have been extremely rude at times and downright racist. They change their tune when they realized I was a tourist and not some resident - so it's basically about automatic suspicion of foreign residents because they do know a 2 week tourist visiting friends and family is not here for trouble. I feel sorry for anyone actually living there.

  • 0

    Antonios_M

    A Japanese style Midnight Express....

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    Harr7959; “I do not go out to pary very much in Japan, I do not go in public if I am drunk, I do not fight, and I do not call attention to myself. I work as an architect, I am respectful to my neighbors, and I get a lot of respect back. “ “I also accept the fact that foreigners have a bad rap and deserve most of it. “

    “I realize that a lot of gaijin do not come to Japan for good reasons and are the cause of an unequal ammount of violence and crime. “

    Interesting how you can judge others and at the same time push the standard Japanese misconception and media/ governments propaganda concerning crime and foreigners!

    I don't drink don't party and as a single father rarely get to go out! I am also active with both my Japanese children schools, the big outing events in my life tend to be going shopping, visiting the zoo or museum with the children so please read my previous post and tell me what I did to deserve the treatment I have been getting!

    As for your comment on foreigners causing “unequal amount of violence and crime”! Please do your research! Foreigners make up about 1% of the population in Japan but account for less than 1% of the crimes and of the “crimes” committed by foreigners the number one is overstaying their visa!

    It's people like you who defend unfair treatment by the police and governments referring to us foreigners living here as “guests” well we are not guest we we pay are taxes, rents and everything else just like the Japanese, we are no ones “guest” and all we are asking is the same treatment by the police as the rest of the population!

    I would leave this place if I could but due to custodial situation with my children I can not so all I would like is that the police leave me alone and let me spend a day with my children without worries!

    And as a clarification most “koban” police are just fine but watch out for those plainclothes and patrol cars!

  • 0

    Patrick Smash

    egrover, you're not alone. I personally know at least 4 people who have been arrested (one apparently for resisting arrest!) and locked up for up to 23 days. The average seems to be aboue 10. At that stage the cops often offer a paper in kanji with a sum of money on it, and you are supposed to pay off the Japanese guy who assaulted you by the sounds of it. Others are just told they can go. This holding system is a disgrace, and I understand how annoying it is when the Japanophiles on boards like this insist that this never happens in good old Japan. It happens all the time, nearly always to Japanese people. The police and justice systems are rotten to the core. Many of the officers are good, well-meaning people of course, but the system they are part of is a disgrace.

    Google daiyo kangoku if you want to know more...

  • 0

    combinibento

    I also accept the fact that foreigners have a bad rap and deserve most of it. So, I will accept a certain ammount of profiling because I realize that a lot of gaijin do not come to Japan for good reasons and are the cause of an unequal ammount of violence and crime.

    This statement by a foreigner in Japan is akin to a black American saying, "I simply accept the fact that statistically, most blacks commit a larger percentage of crimes than their white counterparts, so I am totally fine with being racially profiled and harassed more than whites are. Let's all just make the cops' job easier." You, sir, undermine the legitimacy of the police actions you so praise. Harassment by definition is unwarranted, regardless of whether some foreigners come here for the wrong reasons. Look at these stories about cops literally coming to the homes of foreigners to "check up" on them?? And you say the US is a police state?? You're the one who deserves the bad wrap.

  • 0

    Katsuro1000

    This one time i was smoking and got caught by a cop. then i got away, it was fun making them chase me xD

  • 0

    michaelqtodd

    "..........I hit him back"."I said (to the Police) this is ridiculous and I definitely would not go" "....I would have some real good fire power for a lawsuit."

    @egrover (and others who may be considering behaving and/or thinking like you). Hello. This is Japan. Hitting people,telling Police they are "ridiculous" and refusing their requests, suing people etc may work great from wherever you are from but in Japan they are going to lead directly to trouble. Go to Jail.Do not pass go. Always remember a few things while you are here. 1. Your behaviour and attitude will be seen by Japanese as representative of the tiny gaijin community 2. Dress well.This is important to Japanese. 3. Throw away any idea that you are going to change things in this society via confrontation,especially as a gaijin.4. Smile,relax and be extremely happy to be here. There are rivers of money which you can tap into if you wish ,the trains run on time, until yesterday we just enjoyed 30 or so cloudless days in a row,the public toilets are invariably spotless and the women here are simply wonderful.Whats not to be grateful for?

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    I fine it amazing how all the Japanophiles have just ignored everything I wrote and only picked up on the few part of others stories picking and choosing things to make there point at how GREAT Japan and the kind Japanese are and how no wrong can possibly be done by the Japanese police without provocation!

    Michaelqtodd; please read my posts and tell me what I did wrong to be dragged out of my home along with 2 crying children in the middle of the night just because I happen to live near a place where a crimes was committed?!

    The fact are clear foreigners commit proportionately less crimes than the Japanese but are targeted disproportionately by the police just for the fact that they stick out and had the gall to live here!

  • 0

    pointofview

    I was stopped by 2 cops at an intersection while riding my bike in Hamamatsu a short while back. Of course they wanted to see ID and check the reg # on the bike. I gave them the ID and told them I bought the bike from another teacher who had left Japan. Within a few minutes, about 8 bosozoku ran a red light and were driving dangerously causing drivers and people at the cross walk to stop in their tracks. I then said to the cops "Why is that ok?" and "You never stop them. Does my tax money pay for you to stop bicycles and not wreckless drivers?" They said "Wakaranai." I said that I was going to make a formal complaint, contact newspapers, and speak to a lawyer about harassing me. They went silent and let me go in seconds. The lack of logic here blows my mind sometimes.

  • 0

    sthlmintokyo

    I've been living in Japan for 3 years, two of those in Tokyo. I'm on the Yamanote line a lot and not seldom in and around Ueno.

    I have never been stopped for anything. No gaijin card, no bicycle check.

    Only time I talked with a cop was when me and my wife moved into our current apartment. A man in uniform came by and introduced himself as the police in the neighbourhood. He said that I could contact him if I had any problems and also asked for my contact information. I just thought that was really nice of him. Am I naive?

  • 0

    neverknow2

    Dress well.This is important to Japanese.

    Which Japan are you talking about? My boss wears blue jeans with rips all the way down them but he has never been stopped by police?

  • 0

    neverknow2

    I've never been questioned by police in Osaka despite living 100m or so from a police box. I've once asked for directions in Amemura and they only only too happy to help. I am a large man covered in tattoos, which I thought would draw attention to me but it does not. Most people in my building do not speak to me when I greet them in Japanese. I think there is a fear of the foreigner inbuilt into Japanese society. A fearful population is a controlled one. I feel that most of the English speaking foreigners residing in Japan are in fact from the United States. A country where everyone are proud of their rights, and their free speech etc, etc. This is not the United States. This is Japan. When you visit or live in another country you must abide by their laws. Good or bad, they are their laws. If every country had the same laws and we could all walk around spruiking our freedom to carry our handguns, what a boring place the world would be.

    I feel for the people who claim the have been unfairly arrested or treated by the police. My advice, if a police officer knocks on your door in the middle of the night, and you claim to have done nothing wrong, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR.

  • 0

    michaelqtodd

    @limboinjapan You seem to have had a rough time of it and I heartily commend your selfless parenting efforts.However you answer your own question about what did you do wrong with your own words "...I would leave this place if I could". Have you no understanding of the Law of Attraction whatsoever? Your thoughts create your reality.Give out love,positivity,enthusiasm and gratitude and those things come back. This is how the universe has always worked and always will.Love Japan and be enthusiastic and grateful for it and it will love you back

  • 0

    bobbafett

    egrover,

    unfortunately you engaged a Japanese citizen in violence when you busted up that Chikkan. Also, you don't know who the guy is and what power he may have. It may have been him pulling strings to get you to leave Japan.

    After willing engaging in violence the cops would have been all over you and probably because you gave them some attitude while you were at it, they would have circulated your picture around as a trouble making gaijin and targeted you for when a gaijin with blond hair needed to be questioned.

    As a young man you may have thought you were doing the right thing by grabbing the chikkan and and standing up for yourself to the police. In your own country you would have been supported for your efforts.

    But in Japan you should have engaged the help of some Japanese people around you to bust the chikkan and politely explained what you saw to the cops who would have told you to go home after a minute of questioning and not even used your testimony.

    While its not the most heroic way to act, it would have been the smartest way to act. That would have most certainly changed your destiny in Japan. Those of use that live here have to modify our behavior to get the system to work for us.

  • 0

    WitchDoctor

    @michaelqtodd , You really know the BIG secrets of living a happy life in Japan. I always tell my friends the same things but some of them think that they are smart and the Japanese and their police force are fools.

  • 0

    lovejapan21

    Make important friends while in Japan. It could be a principle or a vice principal at a school. Your local international association club (run by japanese) etc. Once you have that connection (especially the one from International centers for helping foreigners) you could always call on them for help. Let it be an accident, insurance issues, visa, etc. The better you know them, the more they will help. I regularly volunteer at events held bythe city for cultural awareness etc and i am well known by my community. If you are serious about living in Japan, you need to be integraded in the community and not to be afraid to call on your connections. The older(in age) and powerful the connenction is,the better. Japanese society higly respect their elders. (make sure your connection respects you and loves you) I have many private older students from around my area who have been with me for over 4 years. they take care of me by bringing me dinner sometimes or they invite me to new year dinner if they know im alone. and i take them out on excursions as a part of a field trip. we developed a family sort of relationship. I hope you get the picture.

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    michaelqtodd; Again you avoided the question and only picked a small part and insignificant part of what I wrote to try and justify your position!

    But I will indulge you little fantasy as to the “law of attraction”!

    So some how when I am out having a good time with my children driving to the zoo or museum I must be giving off some horrible vibes that some how force the police to pull me over and ask why I'm driving in that area, where I'm going and to search my car and therefore they are justified in doing so!

    Along the same line should I apologize to the police for disturbing them for having to come all the way to my home and dragging me and my children to the station for a crime that I had nothing to do with and that I was sleeping at home when it was happening and not being the perpetrator or confessing anyway in order to make things easier for them?

  • 0

    neverknow2

    If you are serious about living in Japan, you need to be integraded in the community and not to be afraid to call on your connections.

    I really do believe that most are not serious about living in Japan. Many are here just for a bit of fun. I know myself that in my own country I would be much more involved in my local community. I feel unwelcome here but I am not fluent in Japanese. This adds to the misunderstandings.

    Moderator: Back on topic please.

  • 0

    michaelqtodd

    @Witchdoctor Thanks. @lovejapan21 Great advice @bobbafett LOL. The chikkan dude that @egrover smacked back may even have been an off duty cop!

  • 0

    bdaniel08

    neverknow2

    My advice, if a police officer knocks on your door in the middle of the night, and you claim to have done nothing wrong, DON'T OPEN THE DOOR.

    They will break the door and u will have to pay for it...naive man !

  • 0

    Youdontknow

    When I bought my new car 8 years ago, the cops spent three months following me around. They were on all my regular routes and my wife didn't believe me when I told her, until she sat in the back of the car on one of my regular runs. (The back of the car is black tinted windows, so no one can see inside). She made a complaint to the NPA and voila - suddenly zero cops to be seen anywhere. They came to my house once and accused me of breaking into another house several streets away. My lawyer had a field day with that one and the cop who accused me was fired! ha! In December last year, I had a run in with three yaks who were giving a J-friend of mine a hard time. The cops came and all but one were friendly towards me. He was berated though by an older cop.

  • 0

    OneForAll

    egrover - your Chikan story - I do not think it was the police legit system that you ran into but corruption. The Chikan may have been some VIP underworld fella. You uncovered him and brought shame to him. He could not rest til he had his revenge. Corruption via MichaelqTodds connections. Connections are nice, but when truth and justice are subservient to it, we may have injustice. Just my take on your story.

    As for me, the police are always helpful. Just doing a job. But there is a dark underside to Japan as anywhere.

  • 0

    Maria

    Is the following story an urban myth? I was told a frightening story which was supposed to have happened a couple of months ago. This older guy (in his 70s)was visiting his kid in Tokyo. The father was out for a walk by himself one day, when a copper approached him and asked if he had any weapons on him. The old guy, playing nice, showed the copper his penknife - swiss Army knife kind of thing I suppose. The copper took him in, and the guy ended up in the lockup for several days. He spoke no Japanese and was not allowed to contact his son.

    Surely not true?

  • 0

    timorborder

    Maria - I heard the same story and I think the old chap in question was a Kiwi.

  • 0

    guest

    Youdontknow at 02:29 PM JST - 13th January

    My lawyer had a field day with that one and the cop who accused me was fired!

    CAN YOU PLEASE POST YOUR LAWYERS NAME AND CONTACT INFO TO HELP OTHERS?

  • 0

    SiouxChef

    Your thoughts create your reality.Give out love,positivity,enthusiasm and gratitude and those things come back. This is how the universe has always worked and always will.Love Japan and be enthusiastic and grateful for it and it will love you back

    I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

  • 0

    guest

    Have you no understanding of the Law of Attraction whatsoever?

    Try owning property or a big business in Japan, and see what you will attract. Japanese will generally leave you alone until you have some power, then they will scheme, and plot, and talk, and tell stories and harass, with all the considerable resources available to them. They will use everything, from the police, city hall, or their little groups, to achieve their goals. This is exactly Japanese people have no willingness to venture outside of the box. They will be assaulted from every direction, and, if weak, crushed. Their are documented cases of City Hall cutting of services for people for nefarious reasons. The Law of attraction, although true, cant work properly in Japans society, because its just not a level playing field and the cards are stacked against you. These people protect their positions and will blindly follow their friends decisions, be it right or wrong. Their is a famous Japanese expression that sums it all up- If the leader calls a white stone black, everyone else will say that it is black...

  • 0

    guest

    even though they know it to be a white stone.

  • 0

    SiouxChef

    @Maria

    Is the following story an urban myth? I was told a frightening story which was supposed to have happened a couple of months ago.

    It happened in July. He was a 74-year-old Californian and was held for 10 days:

    http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090826a4.html

  • 0

    guest

    >

    Is the following story an urban myth? I was told a frightening story which was supposed to have happened a couple of months ago.

    It happened in July. He was a 74-year-old Californian and was held for 10 days:

    Actually he only went to the koban in the first place to ask for directions.

  • 0

    LIBERTAS

    I was pulled over by the cops while driving. They checked all my documents, which were in order. I asked why I was stopped. "Because you're a foreigner driving an expensive (Mercedes) car." They were polite, as was I. I left. The country, that is. I've been insulted by better people than the racist Japanese police. I don't need that kind of crap.

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    I forgot this little gem:

    Two years ago my son was hit by a delivery truck while riding his bicycle, the company and store to which the truck belonged called and ambulance and me, the ambulance and I got there before the police. The store and driver admited they were at fault and the ambulance insisted on leaving for the hospital even if the police hadn't arrived.

    Luckily there was nothing serious and things went fine at the hospital, in the mean time the police had arrived at the accident site they collected my sons bicycle and called my home they spoke to my daughter and told her that the driver admitted fault and that all we needed to do was come to the station to sign some papers as to whether we wanted to just drop the mater and deal directly with the company or request the police to investigate the driver for negligence and at the same time we could pick up the bicycle.

    Up to this point the police thought they were dealing with a Japanese family seeing both my children have Japanese surnames and given names!

    Things took a dramatic turn once I arrived with both children, to say I was not requesting any investigation and just wanted to sign the papers take the bicycle and go home.

    The truck driver was there as was the security-guard both admitting that the truck pulled out of the loading area without checking, to all are amazement the police started grilling my son as to why hi was ridding there ( the accident site is less then 20 metres from his elementary school play ground) and if we could prove the bicycle was actually his!

    Keep in mind that in Tokyo they will not register childrens bicycles all my adult bicycles are properly registered (I tried registering my daughters bicycle after her first one was stolen and again after her second one was stolen) and that this was a beat-up old hand-me-down from one of his cousins.

    This went on for hours, my sons teacher came to the station his uncle and grandparents finally showed up (they had to come in to Tokyo by shinkasen for this) the grandfather signed a statement as to were the bicycle came from and that seemed to be the end of things (well that's what we thought)

    As we were leaving they noticed I had a car and now I had to give them my drivers license and registration and go back into the station while they checked everything for another 45 min.

    The truck driver, security-guard and store manager were very helpful and staid till the end even arguing with the police (they also made good on all the hospital expenses and damages) my sons teacher was frustrated to the point of having the school principal also come to the station!

    No one could figure out what was the problem and why the police were acting this way!

    Well the school principal tried having a chat with one of the senior officers and later told me that he was told " We can't be to careful with foreigners you never know what they are up to" he then said he gave up trying to reason with them because with that kind of attitude it would do more harm then good to argue!

  • 0

    bicultural

    Called the police once when one psycho ex-girlfriend tried to bash down my front door. The four of us (2 cops) sat down, had a talk, but then the girl took a swing at me. The cops panicked but somehow managed to prevent her from attacking me. They calmed her down, persuaded her to go home and to never bother me again. Thanks guys.

  • 0

    southsakai

    My wifes a Cops Daughter so I never ever have a problem ;-D

  • 0

    neverknow2

    They will break the door and u will have to pay for it...naive man !

    I really don't think so. If there is some evidence that you had actually commited a crime then maybe, but if they just had a suspicion that a foreigner had done something wrong, I seriously doubt it. Maybe there are some tall stories going on here? A lot of these stories sound too bad to be true. Why are you still here if all these bad things keep happening?

  • 0

    neverknow2

    @Maria

    Is the following story an urban myth? I was told a frightening story which was supposed to have happened a couple of months ago.

    "Yes," he said, showing them the knife he had carried from the U.S. He was subsequently arrested for alleged violation of the Firearm and Sword Control Law, which prohibits possession of a knife with a blade 5.5 cm or longer.

    He broke the law. I think it's wrong that he was locked up at all, but still, he broke the law. Not California's law Japan's law.

  • 0

    bobbafett

    He broke the law. I think it's wrong that he was locked up at all, but still, he broke the law. Not California's law Japan's law.

    correct. plenty of seniors in Japan murder.

  • 0

    limboinjapan

    Neverknow2:"Maybe there are some tall stories going on here? A lot of these stories sound too bad to be true. Why are you still here if all these bad things keep happening?"

    Well sorry to bust your bubble but everything I wrote is true!

    And as I said previously up until 5 years ago everything was more or less fine! As to why things changed! Well I have my own crazy theory but as the economy tanked the government in general has made it harder for foreigners to stay even going so far as to offer to pay for some to leave and I think this has trickled down to the police!

    Mined you the city beat-cop is usually a fine guy but watch out for the plainclothes and NPA cops with there pants legs strapped inside there boots!

    As to why some of us stay even with all these problems well I can't speak for the others but in my case it would be too long to go into suffice to say that I can not leave without abandoning my children here alone, due to a certain international accord my country has signed!

    I have custody of my children and they are not babies and can speak their minds but I must keep at all times an up to date "kosekitohon" as proof (this means ordering a new one every 3 months) because I know the next time I am stopped I will be grilled and ordered to show some proof they are my children even though they are 12 and 14 and tell the police I am their father to which the police usually tell them to shut up!

    I know just about every beat-cop in my neighborhood and even they warn me about the NPA and "special" cops.

    Last year when I was stopped by a patrol car with 4 officer in it (the guys with there pant legs in there boots) near my house the local koban cop tried to intervene to say he knew me well, they got really upset with him told him to return to his koban, the next day his partner told me he had been suddenly transferred to traffic duty and we never saw him again, sounds made up doesn't it but this cop used to be my neighbor and his son was a classmate of my son!

    I have made my peace with all this and know that this is just the way things are. this does not mean that I am happy or accept it! I have at least 6 more years till I can legally bring my children back to my country but this can not happen soon enough for my daughter who says she is leaving the country of her birth and the only country she has ever lived in as soon as she graduates High school and turns 18!

    My greatest fear is that the next time they decide to "detain" me my children may not be with me and will be left alone wondering where papa is and who will take care of them!

  • 0

    skroknog

    ****limboinjapan****

    Where do you live in Japan?

  • 0

    bobbafett

    limboinjapan,

    Now way. Tell the full story. How have you angered the authorities in the past? Tell the truth. There is no smoke without fire.

    I don't say that you are a bad man, just that you may have really annoyed the system here at some point.

    I have never heard of anyone having to endure this harassment and if I was harassed in this way, I could make it go away fast with the contacts I have here.

    You must have really challenged someone, somewhere along the line.

    You are being targeted. These are not random events.

  • 0

    DXXJP

    I have been pulled over plenty of times for blatant speeding and such, never ticketed.

    Beat 4 wanna be chipira senseless and hospital bound, spent 10 days reflecting and was let go, ( Gyotoku police station is nice).

    Own my own business never had a problem with the city, cops, utilities nothing, have great credit with the bank now, however when i first applied for a loan I was laughed at and told a gaigin couldn't get one. As soon as I ran 2 million threw the bank i had all sorts of bankers showing up wanting me to borrow. I bought a house, land, and a large piece of property on a main highway, never once have I had a problem.

    I was hit buy a driver in kyushu that ran a red light I was on my bike, the guy took off and I waited bleeding for 2 hours for the cops. They wrote a report and said it was useless to catch the guy even though i had the full plate number down to the kanji, and hirigana. A month later I found the guy, I called the cops and told them either come do their job or bring a ambulance while I take care of it. They came, the guy went to jail and I was paid in full.

    Japan is what you make of it, I hear all these sorted stories of all this racism. Yes I have had people walk past me in a cue like i was invisible but not to the extent some of you post here. I guess Im just luck but i deeply believe in karma and I live by that everyday.

  • 0

    harr7959

    I agree with bobbafett. You guys with your over the top horror stories are not telling the entire story. You are just playing into the myth of the Japanese police as bullies to foreigners. My guess is that you have a complex of western exceptionalism and you think you should be exempt from laws when living abroad.

    I do think that foreigners in Japan need to understand that, at the moment, we are a small minority who has not developed a strong trust with th populace. We will be singled out. I actually think a lot of the fear of westerners comes from western movies and the american millitary's treatment of the Okinawans. The Japanese have their way of doing things, and if you continue to be a crybaby instead of leading by example and pushing for reforms...Nothing will change. These people think that Japan should follow exactly what America does. Well, they wont. This is their country. Profiling happens EVERYWHERE. In the USA, it happens constantly against all minorities. However, Japan is still 99% Japanese. Do you not expect a certain ammount of xenophobia? Just lead a good life, leave a good impression on the people you meet.

  • 0

    GW

    This thread makes for sad & scary reading......

    As I have said many times on jt if something happens to you & you can avoid cops involvement AVOID it! If your in a bad situation, especially one thats not yr fault but is serious & is going to get the cops involved, if you have the time GET OUT OF JPN, like one poster did.

    Some say these stories are few out of many more happy moments........okay true to some extent but I wud bet there are many many more stories of foreigners getting the short end of the stick.

    Bottom line is Jpn is a very primitive country, very corrupt, those that say get out there & make good contacts is very good advice but the next time one of you catches some chikan on the train or something just pray their contacts dont trump yours!

    Sad fact is the rule of law doesnt apply in Jpn for foreigners or Japanese.

    After we have all read this thread we shud have learned what most Japanese know & that is to avoid cops at all costs as bad things can & WILL happen to some unfortunates!

    Stay safe out there AVOID the keystones!

  • 0

    ChrisBiggins

    limboinjapan, You poor dear, your story makes me very sad and i feel like crying.

    Why do Japanese harbour these beastly views of foreigners? You seem like a lovely chap, i wish you all the best.

  • 0

    oikawa

    I remember when I'd been in Japan a few months my neighbour had a party which was a bit loud and even though it wasn't that late someone above called the police who came and found a room full of gaijin who spoke hardly any Japanese, and we were all being very formal and official until one of us whipped out a camera and said "Photo!", whereupon the two policemen flashed big smiles, did the peace sign and said goodnight!

  • 0

    bdiego

    sthlmintokyo, are you white? If so you'll have no trouble using the Yamanote express of course. Just try that if you're a non-Japanese looking Asian.

    A good friend of mine is a translator in Japan, and he's Japanese American, grew up in Hawaii. He doesn't look Japanese because he has an "American hairstyle" and is in fact an Asian-American who speaks perfect Japanese and now has Japanese citizenship. He gets stopped all the time using Yamanote too, which is why he bought motorbike and never used it again. He's never been stopped by undercover cops or asked for his gaijin ID ever again. It's quite insulting for undercover cops to leap upon you asking for a gaijin id when you're a Japanese citizen by birth who happened to grow up in the US. Same for myself, when I'm literally a tourist visiting relatives.

    But if you're white you'll be perfectly okay on Yamanote.

  • 0

    bdiego

    harr7959, I have never met a single Japanese person or even uniformed cop who agrees with the behavior of the undercover cops. This is not even about "this is Japan". Read the Japanese forums on this, and there are a lot of Japanese people complaining because they're profiled for the way they dressed (i.e. otaku).

    For months after the Akihabara stabbing, they began stopping all otaku searching them for knives. So people began posting online photos and videos of them being searched, even of the cops discovering notes saying "Sorry, try again."

    It's sad that people are so ignorant they automatically assume this kind of profiling not only doesn't happen but isn't possible.

  • 0

    bdiego

    neverknow2, are you actually trying to say that unlike every other country in the world, there are no racists in Japan? And that unlike every other country in the world, when the police in Japan make a mistake they don't try to cover it up?

    In the US police make mistakes all the time and they usually try to cover it up. However on occasion when it makes the news or screws over the wrong person the officer is placed on leave and sometimes fired. That's about the only difference with Japan. Otherwise it's 95% the same here. They make mistakes and cover it up.

  • 0

    poindextrose15

    I was in the Fukuchiyama JR station at about 10:00PM, I was waiting for the Shinkansen to go to Hakata. I was having a little trouble looking for which platform to go to, so I approached a group of young ladies to ask them which gate to go to. As they were helping me, I heard somebody yell, "That man's a pervert!". Soon I was approached by a police officer who spoke very good English, he asked me to come with him. I told him I had to catch the train and I asked him what he wanted, He told me that somebody had said I was trying to pick up underage girls. I simply explained my situation and he went to ask the ladies if my story was true. He came back to me apologizing for the inconvenience and sent me on my way, unfortunately, I had missed my Shinkansen.

  • 0

    kp123

    My dad worked in Tokyo back in the late 40's after the war and my Mom and I moved to the Osaka area in advance of his transfer there. At that time, a good number of robberies occurred due to the hard times the Japanese had then. A robber did in fact break into our home but left immediately after my Mom screamed. A good friend of ours recommended we contact the local police station and advised us to agree to quarter a policeman during our Dad's absence to which Mom agreed. Well it turned out great and we all became very close. Even when Dad got transferred to Osaka, the poiceman stayed with us for 3 years after moving into our permanent home until Mom suggested he ought to consider moving out. We still keep in contact today and consider him a dear friend. It's an unusual relationship but a heart-warming one. He is now a successful businessman in retirement.

  • 0

    twoyen

    I once had a problem with a weirdo attacking and groping women in my neighborhood, as well as peeping into windows at night (including my own). I even caught the guy once peeping into my place, staring at my wife, and I grabbed him and gave him a wailing before letting him go.

    When I asked the local Japanese police if they could do anything about it, they said "No, not unless we catch him in the act". I then asked them when they were planning their stakeout because I could let them know some prime spots that were sure to allow them to observe the behavior. (It was that common) They responded by saying that they were too busy to take the time to actually look for the guy. (Reading between the lines it meant that they didn't care what happened to a few gaijin)

    In retrospect I think that I was lucky that lunatic gropper/peeping tom did not press charges against ME for kicking the shit out of him....

  • 0

    lovejapan21

    one more advice...just mention that you are an ENGLISH teacher and their tone will usually always change and start apologizing to you or become more polite. It has happened so many times to me. the moment i mention I am an ELEMENTARY school English Teacher (usually the best one to mention), everything changes. They will start treating you as a guest. Hope this helps...

  • 0

    m5c32

    just mention that you are an ENGLISH teacher and their tone will usually always change

    I heard kowtowing and groveling work wonders too -at least on TV.

  • 0

    bdaniel08

    neverknow2

    They will break the door and u will have to pay for it...naive man ! I really don't think so. If there is some evidence that you had actually commited a crime then maybe, but if they just had a suspicion that a foreigner had done something wrong, I seriously doubt it. Maybe there are some tall stories going on here? A lot of these stories sound too bad to be true...

    ...Why are you still here if all these bad things keep happening?

    Because i have a Japanese wife, a daughter and three grand-childreens ! Do i have to come back to France because of this...and not seeing my family ?

  • 0

    ThonTaddeo

    Like many foreign-looking people who ride bicycles in central Tokyo, I've been pulled over dozens and dozens of times and made to wait and answer more questions while they make sure I'm not a thief.

    No other hassles from the police aside from when riding a bicycle, but it sure is humiliating being stopped and questioned again and again despite not having done anything wrong or even anything suspicious. Society doesn't benefit when the police are scapegoating innocent people based on skin color -- the National Police Agency needs some serious reform.

  • 0

    nigelboy

    I forgot this little gem:

    tranlated: I just made another story up.

  • 0

    Norcalmike

    Driving to work @ 6am passed a group of motorbike guys, they got pissed followed me to sagami depot base where I got out by baseball bat from my trunk and they tried to grab the gate guards gun. The guard pointed the gun at him. They sped away I really wanted to bash thier heads in (I am a 300 hitter) 90k 190cm . The police arrived shortly afterwards and just laughed about it. I started giving a statement but I got frustrated and just went to work.

  • 0

    farhaan

    First day of me in Tokyo I was outside of Shinjuku station late night roaming around and thinking how to go back home as I missed the last train to my destinaton. Then suddenly 2 cops came and questioned me and I answered them in English which they didn't understand and I was not good in Japanese that time. They hold my hand and took me inside the koban and more senior cops sorrounded me and started questioning and 2 cops were proudly standing in the door to make sure that I shouldn't escape. They asked my ID but I didn't show them then they called somewhere to ask for English speaking officer to translate which took 30 minutes till he arrived. At last when I showed them my ID and business card they apologised me but I started screaming on them for their behaviour of holding my hands and taking my time. To compensate their mistake cops said they will drop me home in their car which I agreed happily. Cops saved me from waiting till morning for the train. It was a good experince with cops.

  • 0

    12_year_sensei

    Once in Tokyo I was pulled off the street into a koban where the police made me drop my pants. Another time I was riding in the back seat of a car which was hit by a speeding mailman. When the cop arrived he pointed at me and shouted 'what did the foreigner do!!??' In 2007 I was attacked by a karate-chimpira, had a tooth chipped by his flying foot (he had already beaten a woman and male friend) and I waited for an hour for cops to arrive. When EIGHT of them arrived, they were too scared to apprehend him (he was talking with his friend) and the senior ranking moron demanded MY I.D. and told me harshly to go home. Actually I feel they treat Japanese little better so I don't feel so discriminated against. They do not deserve the honor of being called police. Donald Feeney

  • 0

    davestrousers

    the police made me drop my pants

    is that a euphemism for what I think it is?

  • 0

    UnagiDon

    one more advice...just mention that you are an ENGLISH teacher and their tone will usually always change and start apologizing to you or become more polite.

    Self-respect would prevent me from ever uttering such a statement.

  • 0

    Blue_Tiger

    All of mine have been good....no bad stuff to report abotu Japan's police...

  • 0

    Travelmaster

    'I am 75% sure they took the cash'

    About the policeman in Japan. There is no case thing to steal money from the purse of the lost article at all. Because, fires it by the cause.(It is punished regardless of the size of the amount of money.)

    A certain person picked up a purse. When the purse was checked, cash was included. Cash is stolen, and the purse is thrown away. And, a certain person found the purse. The kind person delivered the purse to the police station. It is my guess. But,it's a story that is anywhere all over the world. Thank you. :)

  • 0

    funkymofo

    Self-respect would prevent me from ever uttering such a statement.

    Get over yourself.

  • 0

    Dilbert14

    Here's one, happened to my dear friend. One day when he was walking with his girlfriend, saw a guy who just throw all his garbage to ground. He picked it up and gave it back to him, telling him "you've dropped it sir". Guy being offensive about it telling him "it's not even your country, why are you so protective" and so on. Minutes later, when he was sitting in an outdoor cafe, another guy suddenly ran toward him and hit him couple times in the chest, and ran away. Not knowing what happend, my friend ran after him, telling his girlfriend to call the cops. He followed him couple hundreds of meters until he realized that he was bleeding heavily from the chest area. Looked and saw he was cut all over, guy had knifes in his hands. Then he saw him getting into a car. Took the licence plate and went back to the cafe where cops already arrived. Him and his girlfriend explained the situation, gave them the licence plate number of the car guy ran into and rushed to hospital. Over 30 stitches had to be done on his chest. Cops later told him that car belonged to a housewife and not connected to any of this. He must have taken wrong licence plate number. He got mad that they did not follow up with it any further.

    Month later, he was driving around roppongi area where he saw cops was pulling cars over for alcohol check. They gave him the sign for pull over, he looked over to them and pulled up his middle finger and excelerated his car, running away from cops. Cops looking surpsised jumped in their cars and started chasing my friend. Not long after, one pulled in front of him and chase was over. My friend got out of his car, looking upset, teared his shirt and showed them his chest while screaming "Look, this is what they did to me and you did nothing! If you don't help me, I don't help you!" Got back to his car and drove away while cops didn't even stop him or said anything.

  • 0

    DonotTrustthem

    Cannot make Police report against US government here in Japan. National Police Agency obstructs Justice by denying even a hearing. Shinjuku Police Department refused to allow police report after physical attacks leaving many holes in body.

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