I’m not even halfway through your video and already I’ve learned that you’ve had so many crazy accidents, you never really admit that you’re a person who enjoys speeding but you’ve got a GTS Skyline, and you’ve had a gold license twice even after visiting a prosecutor! Crazy video, imagine how the British must feel if a foreigner came to their country and behaved like you?
Thanks for also including the situations where you contacted the police and the usually positive outcomes of it. Like 99.9% of content I see about police in japan is about extraordinarily bad, negative incidents. It's only ever about what bad things can happen to you, and never what positive things they can do for you.
Yeah my personal experiences have been fine, if not good. There are certainly problems here like in any country, but I find most police officers are pretty decent.
I did some seriously stupid stuff when I lived in Japan. Thankfully, I never had any encounters with the police. Sadly I know someone who ended up doing time and that was a very sad result for his life and he ultimately took his own life. I highly recommend being a model citizen and representative for wherever in the world you come from. I regret I was not and wish I could go back and be a better man.
I had an officer request my ID and passport on the ramp to the plane when departing Japan. I pointed up the ramp and told the officer that the staff had just checked, and kept on walking. They did nothing.
Love the new hair! Really suits you! I used to live in Hakodate and currently live in Kumamoto, but I've only ever been asked to show ID in Tokyo. Happened twice. First time was because they claimed somebody had been spotted with a weapon in the area. To be fair, they questioned me immediately after they finished questioning a Japanese guy. Second time was because I was carrying two rucksacks which they thought was strange. They also searched my belogings on no occasions. The process was pretty smooth! The first time I was a bit annoyed though as when they were looking at my passport, a passport-sized photo fell out of the passport case and down the drain on the road. Not worth loads obviously, but was a bit annoyed they just glossed over it without even mentioning it.
When I first moved to Japan, I rented a van to bring my bike from the airport. I was in town waiting at a traffic light. I was looking at my phone and bumped into the car in front of me. There was no damage to the rental car and minor damage to the other car. It took like an hour for the police to process it. They didn't seem to like the fact that my passport was newly renewed. I had to get my son to email a scan of my old passport from the US. The other people were very nice and helped me with my limited Japanese. Needless to say, I don't want to drive in Japan again.
I’ve been in Japan 24 years, model citizen, and had overwhelmingly bad interactions with the police here. Over a dozen incidents that involved discrimination. This can be far worse than an annoyance. A recent one ended up with me in jail for weeks being interrogated and trying to force me to sign false confessions. Facing six months to 10 years in prison. All for a false sexual assault allegation about a kiss on the neck during a date.
I had ID checks every month at Sendai airport. Only Sendai airport. The police officer got a little excited when he thought my card had expired. I told him to turn it over and check the extension. The excitement soon disappeared!
I've been here 21 years and have gotten 5 traffic tickets, three for speeding and two for illegal turns. I think it is almost inevitable to get tickets. No one drives 60 kph on country roads, everyone speeds. It is always my dream to get a gold stripe on my license, but sure enough, I always get a ticket just before I have to renew it. The hour long "safety instruction" session I have to sit through at the DMV center is very boring and all in difficult Japanese which I can't understand. In fairness, I should say that I was stopped twice for traffic infractions but was let off without a ticket. I have never been randomly asked for my alien registration card.
Unreal. I've done some of the most ludicrous car related shit in Japan over the last 20 years and I have never, not even ONCE, been given a speeding ticket. At one time, funnily enough, I also had a '91 GTS-t and used to drift it up in Ebisu on slash plates. However one time, I did get done for crossing the dreaded "yellow line" .. and ol' man copper was right there waiting just for me!
This was really entertaining and a nice change of pace. So far, 5 years in and in Nagoya, no real police interactions to speak of. Maybe two really minor ones, which were police knocking on my door asking who parks / owns the parking lot next to the house we were renting. Fingers crossed that I don't have anything much more interesting to share in the future as far as police are concerned.
Nice hair! No issues in Kobe. Only interaction was wife left a bag on top of a phone booth. Checked the koban later for it and they sent us to the main station one stop away to retrieve it. Fill out a form and on your way. Hotel ID checks and copying it during checkin is another topic :). Seems maybe 30% of the time they ask to see or copy it.
Ha, ha, thanks 😅 Hotel ID requests are a whole different thing. I am proud to say I have never shown ID at a hotel in Japan (been asked a few times but so far everyone has been reasonable when I explain the law and the fact that I am not going to show them anything).
Wow! So many interactions with the police!! Great video, very interesting and informative thx! And the hair, really looks good. Ok, yeah ... I was stopped several times when riding my motorcycle and my scooter in Tokyo, they were just basic insurance / helmet / ownership / gaijin card checks, no problem. Please do more videos about life in Japan! Finance is important, and we all need to prepare for retirement, so that content is very much needed and appreciated, but every now and then it's great to hear about daily life issues / incidents .. from someone who has lived there for 20+ years ... most gaijin go home after 3-5 yrs.
My police interactions could literally fill a chapter of a book. I have NEVER actually called the police for anything but one night, coming downstairs at my HOME station, behind some gaudily dressed yankie punk and his two floozies, he spins around and accuses me of taking up-skirt shots of his girlfriends. Read again - I was coming DOWN the stairs. Before I knew it, we were in a heated discussion, then hands on and soon it was us and 3 station staff. Then all of us plus three cops. Then TEN cops. Eventually after all the shouting, they did the ring of death around me, stripped me of my possessions, convinced I was guilty. I got carried out of the station like a f**king mikoshi and hooted the whole way. Yes, I was well plied. They locked me in a cell where I took out my anger on the perspex window for being wrongly imprisoned and eventually after I calmed down, the old cop/young cop routine came by and kicked off. I was absolutely exhausted and it was 4am by this point. When I protested my innocence, they told me "Yes, we know you're innocent because he admitted he made it up. Open your phone and show us the last pictures on it." So I did... The last 5 photos were of me confronting the punk, cops arriving, being accosted by the cops and then carried out. LOL. "You're free to go", they told me. I was dumbfounded. These were cops I had seen before in my own city and as we walked out one turned to me and said, "Look in there..." And there the scumbag was, passed out, in the fetal position curled up against the wall... RIGHT NEXT TO MY CELL. I actually felt sorry for him. What shocked me even more was that there were absolutely NO checks on me personally, no prints, no statements, no accusations, and zero history of it ever having happened since they literally took down absolutely nothing from me nor booked me in for or recorded anything!!
I never had a unwanted interaction with the Japanese police in Japan. I have been in Japan over 15 times as a tourist. But since I got lost very quickly I had to ask them many times for direction which they always did. Also according to my wife in Shikoku they know who am I since I'm the only white guy there...
One thing I have noticed having lived in Hyogo 5 years and Kanagawa the rest of the time is that in both those prefectures there are a lot less complaints from foreigners about police than I hear from other places ( like e.g. Tokyo ) - my own interactions with his Imperial Majesty's finest have never been unpleasant, even when I have been in the wrong. I do think this may have something to do with the long history of foreigner presence in both Kobe and Yokohama and what I understand to be the case of police being local (i.e. recruited from the prefecture) and as such there being a high probability of foreigner "exposure" when young - I do think that in Yokohama there are many people with foreign relatives within a limited number of degrees of freedom in their family tree. However I am led to understand that in Tokyo police are recruited from all over Japan and do not have the same local "connection" .One incident that sticks in my mind is on being pulled over for a traffic offence (in Yokohama) is the older sergeant telling the younger officer that I did not need to put my fingerprint (did not have my hanko on me) on the ticket but instead "gaijin dakara sign OK desu" - he understanding that some foreigners get upset about being fingerprinted.
Sendai might be similar in that it has a large-ish long-term foreign population and the board of education put ALTs in all the schools relatively early. I think most people have good or okay interactions with the police, but the ones who have bad experiences understandably talk about them more.
Be careful with the Japanese police if you are a foreigner living in Japan. A Japanese vs a foreigner. Even if you are right. The Japanese will always have the advantage.
Useful intro to the topic - and so right on staying cool, calm and polite. The question of perceived higher status being a protection is sad for those who can't benefit. I've heard many stories of what might happen if you don't comply. One, a black guy in Roppongi being so fed up with all the stops that he tried to refuse. They called up a few more reinforcements and basically surrounded him. If he tried to push past them they'd get him on obstructing the police in the course of their duties. They wanted to check his bag; you know the mindset - black=drugs!! This guy actually brought and of course lost a court case against the police. They also stop & search young kids sitting on the street in Shibuya etc. But we get it more. I once left a wallet in a phone box back in the day and the guy who found it was claiming a huge amount of reward as it had credit cards etc but they rapped him smartly over the knuckles about that! Recent concerns are what might happen if you're out protesting as is happening these days, so thinking a lot about how to protect oneself from these sneaky b.......!
Yep, it is definitely important to read the air and know when to give in, as the police in practice have a lot of power and not a lot of oversight here in Japan.
If you naturalize, you would presumably have no 在留カード to show... and no obligation to carry ID. That would be an interesting conversation with the police.
You'd basically say 'I'm a Japanese citizen' and they would have to believe you (or not, and detain you). There have been a number of news stories of Japanese citizens being wrongfully arrested on suspicion of being foreigners with no zairyu card.
@@RetireJapan_OG It helps if you have a driver's license or another ID on you. 15 seconds to show your ID beats getting wrongfully detained. They no longer give free Katsudon during the investigation so there's no incentive to get detained.☺
that's just inviting discimination. How many Japanese carry any form of ID when going for a run, post a letter, buying something at a vending machine around the corner?@@emikami1
I've picked up a lot of information about driving in japan from the us military members here in okinawa. Its a real eye opener how the locals sometimes operate when there is a car accident and its their fault. The 80%-20% fault thing can easily be turned into their favor so install cams in your cars! I copied this one post for others to read: "The only thing that will save you as a dash cam showing that you had no way to stop whatsoever. As long as your tires are moving, they think that you have time to avoid a collision. I went through this twice. Both times the other driver got a citation. When my vehicle was rear-ended, I was stopped at a red light. The other driver tried to say I move forward and then stopped. It was deemed to 100% their fault because I was stopped. The second time the driver was cited for failure to yield when they pulled out into traffic after stopping at a stop sign. I had no stop sign and no way to stop on time. I was going under the speed limit and the MP saw it. I was still moving when they hit me so it became 20% my fault according to the insurance companies. They said if I had a dash cam, there’s a strong possibility it would’ve been 100% their fault and matched with the base MPs were saying. Yes my insurance went up. I think they think I was driving a car with the ability to jump vertical like Speed Racers Mach 5!"
I understand that the focus of this video is your own personal interactions with the police in Japan. However, these kinds of personal anecdotes may unintentionally lead overseas viewers to believe that the police typically conduct themselves in a just and reasonable manner. I am wondering if you would consider balancing your own experiences with the findings of others such as the Opinion by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (November 2020) and the publications of NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. I also would like to draw to your attention a 2021 documentary "Ushiku" containing first hand testimony of the treatment of detainees being held indefinitely over minor visa issues at Ushiku detention center. Perhaps one reason why these abuses are allowed to continue in Japan is because the majority of the Japanese population are not concerned with issues that do not affect them personally, despite their magnitude. For a historical perspective on this issue, I also recommend the book "Accused American War Criminal" by Fiske Hanley.
I have serious reservations about the justice system in Japan, and have discussed them at length elsewhere. But at the same time my personal experience has been very different. I can simultaneously be aware of problems with the system here while acknowledging that many police officers do their jobs fairly and well. Are Japanese police worse than European or North American ones? I'm not sure.
I don't recommend making a fuss of presenting your ID when asked. Article 14 of the Japanese Constitution about racial discrimination does not apply to non-Japanese citizens. Even that article has significant gaps that may not cover every case even as a Japanese Citizen. It might take 15 seconds to get your ID out and show it versus arguing over legal rights. I just don't think it is worth it.
Oh, I agree. Everyone needs to make their own decision on that, and in the video several times I recommend people default to just showing ID. Personally I prefer to live in a society where the police do not harass people on the basis of their perceived ethnicity, and the Tokyo Bar Association seems to agree with me: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/12/13/national/japanese-lawyers-police-treatment-foreigners/
@@RetireJapan_OG It's not that I don't see your point but referring to the article you just shared, "Japanese police approach suspicious people in accordance with the law, such as when they have reasonable grounds to suspect someone has committed a crime, and that questioning is not carried out based on race or nationality." You were racially profiled by a peon to show your ID and you refused arguing that this isn't part of Shokumu Hitsumon, nor was there any particular reason such as being part of the immigration process, to provide lodging, etc. From the peon's point of view, what would come to mind? Maybe they start to wonder if this person actually is trying to hide something. You just might vaguely resemble an actual crime suspect. You put the two together and now we start to approach reasonable grounds to suspect someone has committed a crime. Is it fair? No it is not fair. But confronting a peon that is just following orders probably won't get anything to change. Maybe a different approach. Show your ID, then ask for their ID including the badge number and where the peon reports to. Then try to contact the supervisor and to try to persuade a different approach that might better fit international standards.
@@emikami1Not sure, but if the police ask for ID I believe they are legally bound to show their ID upon request. Of course, whether they have to display it long enough for you to take a picture of or otherwise record a name or other information is another matter.
It’s not 15 seconds. It’s trying to humiliate you in front of other people. And then lying to you about the purpose of the stop (foreigner discrimination), such as claiming you may have stole your own bicycle, and then not checking the bicycle ID. They also want to search your bag. And then they want to search your body. After all rather than thank you for your cooperation, you’re left with a “maybe we’ll catch you next time” dirty look and attitude.
Nice video! Was an interesting, educating and unique video! Keep it up. Had interaction with police around 5-6 times over 6yrs in Tokyo. I pulled card called I do not speak english and japanese card! They just let me go. Was crossing on blinking green light but when almost crossed it turned into red and retard on bicycle almost hit me. Like wtf? I see that I am in front of you and need literally 3 seconds, 3 seconds! Was able to evade and police guy that was standing right in front of me was like, " it is a red light!",😂
As a resident of Japan for the last 16 years I can confirm that this is a good video with loads of information, nice one mate.
Thank you!
I’m not even halfway through your video and already I’ve learned that you’ve had so many crazy accidents, you never really admit that you’re a person who enjoys speeding but you’ve got a GTS Skyline, and you’ve had a gold license twice even after visiting a prosecutor! Crazy video, imagine how the British must feel if a foreigner came to their country and behaved like you?
The GTS Skyline was washed away in the 2011 tsunami 😬
Thanks for also including the situations where you contacted the police and the usually positive outcomes of it.
Like 99.9% of content I see about police in japan is about extraordinarily bad, negative incidents. It's only ever about what bad things can happen to you, and never what positive things they can do for you.
Yeah my personal experiences have been fine, if not good.
There are certainly problems here like in any country, but I find most police officers are pretty decent.
The only crime here is the haircut.
OUCH OUCH OUCH
I did some seriously stupid stuff when I lived in Japan. Thankfully, I never had any encounters with the police. Sadly I know someone who ended up doing time and that was a very sad result for his life and he ultimately took his own life. I highly recommend being a model citizen and representative for wherever in the world you come from. I regret I was not and wish I could go back and be a better man.
Sorry to hear about your friend. Completely agree about being a model resident 😀
I had an officer request my ID and passport on the ramp to the plane when departing Japan. I pointed up the ramp and told the officer that the staff had just checked, and kept on walking. They did nothing.
Ha, ha, I've never heard that one before... maybe they were looking for someone specific?
Love the new hair! Really suits you!
I used to live in Hakodate and currently live in Kumamoto, but I've only ever been asked to show ID in Tokyo. Happened twice. First time was because they claimed somebody had been spotted with a weapon in the area. To be fair, they questioned me immediately after they finished questioning a Japanese guy. Second time was because I was carrying two rucksacks which they thought was strange.
They also searched my belogings on no occasions. The process was pretty smooth! The first time I was a bit annoyed though as when they were looking at my passport, a passport-sized photo fell out of the passport case and down the drain on the road. Not worth loads obviously, but was a bit annoyed they just glossed over it without even mentioning it.
Ha, ha, thanks!
Yeah, I get the impression Tokyo is where the action is with police stop and ID check/search.
When I first moved to Japan, I rented a van to bring my bike from the airport. I was in town waiting at a traffic light. I was looking at my phone and bumped into the car in front of me. There was no damage to the rental car and minor damage to the other car. It took like an hour for the police to process it. They didn't seem to like the fact that my passport was newly renewed. I had to get my son to email a scan of my old passport from the US. The other people were very nice and helped me with my limited Japanese. Needless to say, I don't want to drive in Japan again.
That is very unlucky indeed.
I’ve been in Japan 24 years, model citizen, and had overwhelmingly bad interactions with the police here. Over a dozen incidents that involved discrimination. This can be far worse than an annoyance. A recent one ended up with me in jail for weeks being interrogated and trying to force me to sign false confessions. Facing six months to 10 years in prison. All for a false sexual assault allegation about a kiss on the neck during a date.
I can't believe you made a 40 min video and you didn't even mentioned about your new hairstyle :)
Ha, ha, what new hairstyle?
I had ID checks every month at Sendai airport. Only Sendai airport.
The police officer got a little excited when he thought my card had expired. I told him to turn it over and check the extension. The excitement soon disappeared!
A stout fellow? Probably the same guy!
I've been here 21 years and have gotten 5 traffic tickets, three for speeding and two for illegal turns. I think it is almost inevitable to get tickets. No one drives 60 kph on country roads, everyone speeds. It is always my dream to get a gold stripe on my license, but sure enough, I always get a ticket just before I have to renew it. The hour long "safety instruction" session I have to sit through at the DMV center is very boring and all in difficult Japanese which I can't understand. In fairness, I should say that I was stopped twice for traffic infractions but was let off without a ticket. I have never been randomly asked for my alien registration card.
I've just been lucky, I guess. On my third gold license now somehow 😅
Unreal. I've done some of the most ludicrous car related shit in Japan over the last 20 years and I have never, not even ONCE, been given a speeding ticket. At one time, funnily enough, I also had a '91 GTS-t and used to drift it up in Ebisu on slash plates.
However one time, I did get done for crossing the dreaded "yellow line" .. and ol' man copper was right there waiting just for me!
great stuff man from a fellow 30 year expat
Thanks!
Really enjoyed this video. Made me remember my various interactions with police in Japan.
Also, would be good to know how many of these interactions were in Japanese or English?
They were all in Japanese 😃
This was really entertaining and a nice change of pace. So far, 5 years in and in Nagoya, no real police interactions to speak of. Maybe two really minor ones, which were police knocking on my door asking who parks / owns the parking lot next to the house we were renting. Fingers crossed that I don't have anything much more interesting to share in the future as far as police are concerned.
Ha, ha, definitely! Fingers crossed for you 😀
Nice hair! No issues in Kobe. Only interaction was wife left a bag on top of a phone booth.
Checked the koban later for it and they sent us to the main station one stop away to retrieve it. Fill out a form and on your way.
Hotel ID checks and copying it during checkin is another topic :). Seems maybe 30% of the time they ask to see or copy it.
Ha, ha, thanks 😅
Hotel ID requests are a whole different thing. I am proud to say I have never shown ID at a hotel in Japan (been asked a few times but so far everyone has been reasonable when I explain the law and the fact that I am not going to show them anything).
Wow - Gold License - twice! I have had a Japanese license for 30 years and yet to get to that elevated status....
Ha, ha, I don't drive much any more, that really helps to avoid committing driving offences 😉
Some great stories here, really interesting!
Thanks! I've been planning it for weeks 😀
Wow! So many interactions with the police!! Great video, very interesting and informative thx! And the hair, really looks good. Ok, yeah ... I was stopped several times when riding my motorcycle and my scooter in Tokyo, they were just basic insurance / helmet / ownership / gaijin card checks, no problem. Please do more videos about life in Japan! Finance is important, and we all need to prepare for retirement, so that content is very much needed and appreciated, but every now and then it's great to hear about daily life issues / incidents .. from someone who has lived there for 20+ years ... most gaijin go home after 3-5 yrs.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video 😀
My police interactions could literally fill a chapter of a book. I have NEVER actually called the police for anything but one night, coming downstairs at my HOME station, behind some gaudily dressed yankie punk and his two floozies, he spins around and accuses me of taking up-skirt shots of his girlfriends. Read again - I was coming DOWN the stairs.
Before I knew it, we were in a heated discussion, then hands on and soon it was us and 3 station staff. Then all of us plus three cops. Then TEN cops. Eventually after all the shouting, they did the ring of death around me, stripped me of my possessions, convinced I was guilty. I got carried out of the station like a f**king mikoshi and hooted the whole way. Yes, I was well plied.
They locked me in a cell where I took out my anger on the perspex window for being wrongly imprisoned and eventually after I calmed down, the old cop/young cop routine came by and kicked off. I was absolutely exhausted and it was 4am by this point. When I protested my innocence, they told me "Yes, we know you're innocent because he admitted he made it up. Open your phone and show us the last pictures on it." So I did...
The last 5 photos were of me confronting the punk, cops arriving, being accosted by the cops and then carried out. LOL. "You're free to go", they told me.
I was dumbfounded. These were cops I had seen before in my own city and as we walked out one turned to me and said, "Look in there..." And there the scumbag was, passed out, in the fetal position curled up against the wall... RIGHT NEXT TO MY CELL. I actually felt sorry for him.
What shocked me even more was that there were absolutely NO checks on me personally, no prints, no statements, no accusations, and zero history of it ever having happened since they literally took down absolutely nothing from me nor booked me in for or recorded anything!!
I never had a unwanted interaction with the Japanese police in Japan. I have been in Japan over 15 times as a tourist. But since I got lost very quickly I had to ask them many times for direction which they always did. Also according to my wife in Shikoku they know who am I since I'm the only white guy there...
Ha, ha, many people only have normal experiences with the police, which does not mean that everyone does unfortunately.
One thing I have noticed having lived in Hyogo 5 years and Kanagawa the rest of the time is that in both those prefectures there are a lot less complaints from foreigners about police than I hear from other places ( like e.g. Tokyo ) - my own interactions with his Imperial Majesty's finest have never been unpleasant, even when I have been in the wrong. I do think this may have something to do with the long history of foreigner presence in both Kobe and Yokohama and what I understand to be the case of police being local (i.e. recruited from the prefecture) and as such there being a high probability of foreigner "exposure" when young - I do think that in Yokohama there are many people with foreign relatives within a limited number of degrees of freedom in their family tree. However I am led to understand that in Tokyo police are recruited from all over Japan and do not have the same local "connection" .One incident that sticks in my mind is on being pulled over for a traffic offence (in Yokohama) is the older sergeant telling the younger officer that I did not need to put my fingerprint (did not have my hanko on me) on the ticket but instead "gaijin dakara sign OK desu" - he understanding that some foreigners get upset about being fingerprinted.
Sendai might be similar in that it has a large-ish long-term foreign population and the board of education put ALTs in all the schools relatively early.
I think most people have good or okay interactions with the police, but the ones who have bad experiences understandably talk about them more.
@@RetireJapan_OG Yeah... or maybe the foreigners up in Tokyo are just more badly behaved than the rest of us... ;-)
That is possible too ^-^
Be careful with the Japanese police if you are a foreigner living in Japan. A Japanese vs a foreigner. Even if you are right. The Japanese will always have the advantage.
I think it depends on the situation. I have not had that experience yet but I have heard enough stories to believe that it can happen.
Thank you for sharing your stories
Thanks for listening!
Useful intro to the topic - and so right on staying cool, calm and polite. The question of perceived higher status being a protection is sad for those who can't benefit. I've heard many stories of what might happen if you don't comply. One, a black guy in Roppongi being so fed up with all the stops that he tried to refuse. They called up a few more reinforcements and basically surrounded him. If he tried to push past them they'd get him on obstructing the police in the course of their duties. They wanted to check his bag; you know the mindset - black=drugs!! This guy actually brought and of course lost a court case against the police. They also stop & search young kids sitting on the street in Shibuya etc. But we get it more. I once left a wallet in a phone box back in the day and the guy who found it was claiming a huge amount of reward as it had credit cards etc but they rapped him smartly over the knuckles about that! Recent concerns are what might happen if you're out protesting as is happening these days, so thinking a lot about how to protect oneself from these sneaky b.......!
Yep, it is definitely important to read the air and know when to give in, as the police in practice have a lot of power and not a lot of oversight here in Japan.
If you naturalize, you would presumably have no 在留カード to show... and no obligation to carry ID.
That would be an interesting conversation with the police.
You'd basically say 'I'm a Japanese citizen' and they would have to believe you (or not, and detain you).
There have been a number of news stories of Japanese citizens being wrongfully arrested on suspicion of being foreigners with no zairyu card.
@@RetireJapan_OG It helps if you have a driver's license or another ID on you. 15 seconds to show your ID beats getting wrongfully detained. They no longer give free Katsudon during the investigation so there's no incentive to get detained.☺
that's just inviting discimination. How many Japanese carry any form of ID when going for a run, post a letter, buying something at a vending machine around the corner?@@emikami1
I’ve had nothing but negative discriminatory interactions with the police in Japan. One of them with very serious implications.
Great Teacher Onizuka vibes!
Oooh, I love that manga/TV show 😀
The police should give you a pass with that new look, tell them you're Eminem!😜
One of our JHS students last night took one look at me and said "oh, are you Trump?" 😭
Oh, dear. Not a compliment.
JHS students are the best at keeping you grounded and in your place 🤣
I've picked up a lot of information about driving in japan from the us military members here in okinawa. Its a real eye opener how the locals sometimes operate when there is a car accident and its their fault. The 80%-20% fault thing can easily be turned into their favor so install cams in your cars! I copied this one post for others to read: "The only thing that will save you as a dash cam showing that you had no way to stop whatsoever. As long as your tires are moving, they think that you have time to avoid a collision. I went through this twice. Both times the other driver got a citation. When my vehicle was rear-ended, I was stopped at a red light. The other driver tried to say I move forward and then stopped. It was deemed to 100% their fault because I was stopped. The second time the driver was cited for failure to yield when they pulled out into traffic after stopping at a stop sign. I had no stop sign and no way to stop on time. I was going under the speed limit and the MP saw it. I was still moving when they hit me so it became 20% my fault according to the insurance companies. They said if I had a dash cam, there’s a strong possibility it would’ve been 100% their fault and matched with the base MPs were saying. Yes my insurance went up. I think they think I was driving a car with the ability to jump vertical like Speed Racers Mach 5!"
I understand that the focus of this video is your own personal interactions with the police in Japan. However, these kinds of personal anecdotes may unintentionally lead overseas viewers to believe that the police typically conduct themselves in a just and reasonable manner. I am wondering if you would consider balancing your own experiences with the findings of others such as the Opinion by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (November 2020) and the publications of NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. I also would like to draw to your attention a 2021 documentary "Ushiku" containing first hand testimony of the treatment of detainees being held indefinitely over minor visa issues at Ushiku detention center. Perhaps one reason why these abuses are allowed to continue in Japan is because the majority of the Japanese population are not concerned with issues that do not affect them personally, despite their magnitude. For a historical perspective on this issue, I also recommend the book "Accused American War Criminal" by Fiske Hanley.
I have serious reservations about the justice system in Japan, and have discussed them at length elsewhere.
But at the same time my personal experience has been very different. I can simultaneously be aware of problems with the system here while acknowledging that many police officers do their jobs fairly and well.
Are Japanese police worse than European or North American ones? I'm not sure.
Yep, being alone vs being in the company of Japanese are worlds apart.
Usually makes a big difference ^-^
I don't recommend making a fuss of presenting your ID when asked. Article 14 of the Japanese Constitution about racial discrimination does not apply to non-Japanese citizens. Even that article has significant gaps that may not cover every case even as a Japanese Citizen. It might take 15 seconds to get your ID out and show it versus arguing over legal rights. I just don't think it is worth it.
Oh, I agree. Everyone needs to make their own decision on that, and in the video several times I recommend people default to just showing ID.
Personally I prefer to live in a society where the police do not harass people on the basis of their perceived ethnicity, and the Tokyo Bar Association seems to agree with me: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/12/13/national/japanese-lawyers-police-treatment-foreigners/
@@RetireJapan_OG It's not that I don't see your point but referring to the article you just shared, "Japanese police approach suspicious people in accordance with the law, such as when they have reasonable grounds to suspect someone has committed a crime, and that questioning is not carried out based on race or nationality."
You were racially profiled by a peon to show your ID and you refused arguing that this isn't part of Shokumu Hitsumon, nor was there any particular reason such as being part of the immigration process, to provide lodging, etc. From the peon's point of view, what would come to mind? Maybe they start to wonder if this person actually is trying to hide something. You just might vaguely resemble an actual crime suspect. You put the two together and now we start to approach reasonable grounds to suspect someone has committed a crime. Is it fair? No it is not fair. But confronting a peon that is just following orders probably won't get anything to change.
Maybe a different approach. Show your ID, then ask for their ID including the badge number and where the peon reports to. Then try to contact the supervisor and to try to persuade a different approach that might better fit international standards.
@@emikami1Not sure, but if the police ask for ID I believe they are legally bound to show their ID upon request. Of course, whether they have to display it long enough for you to take a picture of or otherwise record a name or other information is another matter.
It’s not 15 seconds. It’s trying to humiliate you in front of other people. And then lying to you about the purpose of the stop (foreigner discrimination), such as claiming you may have stole your own bicycle, and then not checking the bicycle ID. They also want to search your bag. And then they want to search your body. After all rather than thank you for your cooperation, you’re left with a “maybe we’ll catch you next time” dirty look and attitude.
Channelling your inner Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love?
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Nice new hair!!
Thank you!
Nice video! Was an interesting, educating and unique video! Keep it up.
Had interaction with police around 5-6 times over 6yrs in Tokyo. I pulled card called I do not speak english and japanese card! They just let me go. Was crossing on blinking green light but when almost crossed it turned into red and retard on bicycle almost hit me. Like wtf? I see that I am in front of you and need literally 3 seconds, 3 seconds! Was able to evade and police guy that was standing right in front of me was like, " it is a red light!",😂
Thanks!
120!?!?! Are you MAD Sir?
😳
... that's kind of normal up here in Tohoku... I think 😬
I saw cars running 160 - 180 at Hokkaido --'
Imagine how many id checks i have for being black
I had a friend in Sendai (huge black guy from Washington State) that I did karate with. He got stopped every week. Pretty disgraceful.