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As a fellow gaijin in Japan, you seem like you’ve learned nothing about living here. The whole tone of your story is so smug and obnoxious. The reason that eve

As a fellow gaijin in Japan, you seem like you’ve learned nothing about living here. The whole tone of your story is so smug and obnoxious. The reason that even minor crimes (stealing a bicycle) are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. You should probably learn your lesson and leave things that aren’t yours alone. Furthermore, the fact that you think your political connections got you off the hook tells us everything we need to know about your exceptionalist outlook. People like you make the police skeptical of foreigners like myself who bother to learn and play by the rules out of respect for our host country.

xelxebar 7y ago
There are all sorts here, gaijin or otherwise. I get your sentiment though. As a foreigner, tying to live here and have normal, fulfilling relationships takes a metric ton of work. In my experience, there's a bit of an endowment effect, where the coping mechanisms and language successes we pick up through the years get tied into our personal identities. I've certainly gotten my jimmies ruffled by Outrageous Gaijin TM on many occasions, but I feel like there's a lot of room for mutual growth and 切磋琢磨ing through those interactions. To flip things on their head a bit, mutual understanding and cooperation are held as socially high ideals here. I think most Japanese would agree those are better than dropping harsh judgement. Anyway, if you just made a careless post after a stressful day or something, then let me buy you a beer (or tea, if you prefer). My email is in my profile.
odiroot 7y ago
> The reason that even minor crimes [..] are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. I really love how you condensed it well. This is how I always observed in the wild.
- Cthulhu_ 7y ago
  I guess it's a valid approach - see broken window syndrome - but at the same time it's only something you can do if the police force has the luxury to respond to minor (possible) crimes. Second, it doesn't work in e.g. the US where many people are arrested, tried and jailed for small crimes, e.g. possession of marihuana. Is that a deterrent? Does it work to reduce the production, trade and consumption of drugs? Does it over time cause the prison population to reduce and prisons to close?
  - jtx22 7y ago
    That's different. Drug use is a victimless crime. Breaking someone's windows is not.
- bananaeater 7y ago
  This is called Broken Windows theory. "The broken windows theory is a criminological theory that states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. The theory suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and fare evasion help to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory
- ckris 7y ago
  Correlation is not causation. Somewhere where there isn't for example a lot of police presence might have a lot of petty crime, but the inverse isn't true. Many authoritarian countries with completely corrupt legal systems enforce petty crimes harshly. If anything this tends to suggest an erosion of the rule of law, since the purpose of the rule of law is to weight different interests against each other with things like proportionality.
  - nihonde 7y ago
    In Japan, it’s common to see politicians, business people, or celebrities lose their entire livelihood and reputation over crimes such as mistakes in accounting for business lunches amounting to a few hundred dollars, or possession of a few grams of pot. Likewise, even a hint of political favors or major financial shenanigans carry huge impact. There will be deep bowing, sincere tears, and deep, deep, lasting shaming and exile from professional circles. It’s what a culture that keeps shame alive looks like, and IMO it’s a lot healthier than places that let the rich walk free after being caught red-handed, while the poor get locked up for life or murdered by the state over trivial, non-violent crimes.
- snuze 7y ago
  The broken windows theory introduced by Wilson and Kelling.
ckris 7y ago
> The reason that even minor crimes (stealing a bicycle) are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. Doesn't seem like the best argument, because that isn't necessarily how the rule of law works. Taking abandon property isn't necessarily theft, even using a non-abandoned bike isn't necessarily theft but something like "unlawful usage", and if you don't intend to keep the object it is even less theft. It many countries it isn't a "minor crime" to leaving an abandoned bike with the police, but simply what you are supposed to do. But apparently Tokyo has a big problem with abandoned bikes [0]. You sentiment mostly just seems to confirm OPs suggestion that people should know their place. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00444/tackling-tokyo%E2%80%99s-abandoned-bike-problem.html https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00444/tackling-tokyo%E...
socialdemocrat 7y ago
I think you are post rationalizing. Places like Norway, where I live have far more chill police and would let smaller things slide. Yet Norway is about as safe as Japan. Most difference between crime in Norway and Japan is more likely down to Norway having much larger immigrant population from poorer countries. I think your attitude easily ends up excusing police states. Japanese justice system is highly questionable. Almost nobody ever gets acquitted in the justice system, and prison is rather harsh. Norway gets away with low crime despite (or because of) probably the worlds most liberal prison system. Don't get me wrong. I admire a lot about Japan, but I think you easily fall into the trap of thinking that everything great about Japan is directly the result of something bad. I would argue more important factor causing law crime in Japan is much the same as in Nordic countries. Low levels of inequality. How people are socialized. Stricter gun laws. And let us not forget that the average age is high in Japan. Older people commit a lot less crime.
- nihonde 7y ago
  Japan polices itself so that the police generally don’t have to. I don’t know about Norway, so I won’t comment. I can tell you it’s easy to avoid trouble with the state in Japan. Your biggest worry is going to be an older person who enforces social norms, which is exactly what got GP here.
- sithadmin 7y ago
  >And let us not forget that the average age is high in Japan. Older people commit a lot less crime. Japan has actually been seeing a rise in crime among the elderly population lately: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/11/22/500040363/golden-years-iron-bars-japan-sees-rise-in-crime-by-the-elderly https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/11/22/500040363/...
- d0100 7y ago
  > Stricter gun laws. In a country of literal ninjas and samurais, this is the most inconsequential of all the reasons you gave.
  - nostalgk 7y ago
99052882514569 7y ago
>The reason that even minor crimes (stealing a bicycle) are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#Criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#Criticis...
- not_a_cop75 7y ago
  I certainly don't feel bad throwing a wrapper on the ground if the whole ground is full of wrappers already. I wouldn't anymore anyway, but it's largely true - people feel worse about committing a crme when they know others don't or aren't doing it.
  - cgriswald 7y ago
    I think it goes the other way, too: “Why should I carry a wrapper around when ‘no one else’ is?”
turk73 7y ago
Ah yes, "Broken Windows Theory" The issue I have with it is, the law must apply to all equally. In the US, our well-connected public officials get away with serious crimes and the underclass has no money to forfeit, so they also get away with serious crimes.
endorphone 7y ago
Your post sounds like some sort of Stockholm Syndrome manifestation. The other poster found a bicycle seemingly abandoned in a public place, and the police response quite correctly sounds ridiculous. That you so casually refer to yourselves as Gaijin -- which is a manifestation of Japan's incredible cultural insecurity and xenophobia -- should be indicting Japan, not somehow used to defend them. Gaijin or not [1], he has every right to have opinions about things. Multiple detectives investigating a bicycle theft is absurd. This has positively nothing to do with the broken window theory, but instead is exactly what the article talks about which is an overstaffed police force with little to do. And it doesn't have little to do because Japan is such a cultural gem. It has little to do because Japan is facing a population implosion as the population ages with few children. Youth and young adults are, unsurprisingly, responsible for most crime, and when you have few in that demographic crime drops. No surprise. [1] It's interesting to think about this in the context of a Japanese person in, say, Canada. They meet with a ridiculous scenario with a ridiculous response, and when vocalizing to a coworker how ridiculous it is they are told that they are a smug foreigner and need to shut the hell up. That would be simply outrageous, and is the sort of thing the worst sort of racist would resort to.
- goobynight 7y ago
  For what it's worth, I wish I even had a single detective working my bicycle theft case. Hell, put an intern on the case just to make me feel like something might happen. Right now, property crime reports just blatantly go into the void in US cities.
  - smsm42 7y ago
    Yes, when I got my bike stolen - in broad daylight, in front of a public place - the response was pretty much "sucks to be you, good luck with the next one, we can take report if you want but don't expect anything happening because it never does".
notfromhere 7y ago
He saw an abandoned bike in a field and took it home to get rid of it. The police definitely overreacted, and you just showed by 'broken windows' policing has a whole problem with implicit bias as the police seemed pretty prejudiced for him being a foreigner even though no crime was actually committed.
- wst_ 7y ago
  It wasn't for him to decide if this bicycle was abandoned or not. When you live in Japan you learn very fast how the law works. You do not touch anything that is not yours under any circumstances. In situation described as above you do not take the bike. Instead you call the police and report that is has been abandoned. It's trivial, really. And yes, maybe police was a bit prejudice in this case. But statistics and practice shows that vast majority of Japanese would not take this bike and this I can confirm first hand. Overall I think it was a good lesson. No harm done to anyone but the OP will remember for the rest of his life that he should not touch what's not his.
- nihonde 7y ago
  Every bike in Japan needs to registered with the police. Also, there are very specific rules governing abandoned property. Just saying “well no one else was using it” isn’t proof of the absence of a crime. Edit: moreover, this is a well known thing that foreigners do: https://www.google.com/amp/s/soranews24.com/2017/08/16/please-dont-make-the-stupid-mistake-of-taking-an-abandoned-bike-for-a-ride-in-japan/amp/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/soranews24.com/2017/08/16/pleas...
  - artsyca 7y ago
    Duude I should've read this beforehand, well appreciated

xelxebar 7y ago

There are all sorts here, gaijin or otherwise. I get your sentiment though. As a foreigner, tying to live here and have normal, fulfilling relationships takes a metric ton of work. In my experience, there's a bit of an endowment effect, where the coping mechanisms and language successes we pick up through the years get tied into our personal identities. I've certainly gotten my jimmies ruffled by Outrageous Gaijin TM on many occasions, but I feel like there's a lot of room for mutual growth and 切磋琢磨ing through those interactions. To flip things on their head a bit, mutual understanding and cooperation are held as socially high ideals here. I think most Japanese would agree those are better than dropping harsh judgement. Anyway, if you just made a careless post after a stressful day or something, then let me buy you a beer (or tea, if you prefer). My email is in my profile.

odiroot 7y ago

> The reason that even minor crimes [..] are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. I really love how you condensed it well. This is how I always observed in the wild.

Cthulhu_ 7y ago
I guess it's a valid approach - see broken window syndrome - but at the same time it's only something you can do if the police force has the luxury to respond to minor (possible) crimes. Second, it doesn't work in e.g. the US where many people are arrested, tried and jailed for small crimes, e.g. possession of marihuana. Is that a deterrent? Does it work to reduce the production, trade and consumption of drugs? Does it over time cause the prison population to reduce and prisons to close?
- jtx22 7y ago
  That's different. Drug use is a victimless crime. Breaking someone's windows is not.
bananaeater 7y ago
This is called Broken Windows theory. "The broken windows theory is a criminological theory that states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. The theory suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and fare evasion help to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory
ckris 7y ago
Correlation is not causation. Somewhere where there isn't for example a lot of police presence might have a lot of petty crime, but the inverse isn't true. Many authoritarian countries with completely corrupt legal systems enforce petty crimes harshly. If anything this tends to suggest an erosion of the rule of law, since the purpose of the rule of law is to weight different interests against each other with things like proportionality.
- nihonde 7y ago
  In Japan, it’s common to see politicians, business people, or celebrities lose their entire livelihood and reputation over crimes such as mistakes in accounting for business lunches amounting to a few hundred dollars, or possession of a few grams of pot. Likewise, even a hint of political favors or major financial shenanigans carry huge impact. There will be deep bowing, sincere tears, and deep, deep, lasting shaming and exile from professional circles. It’s what a culture that keeps shame alive looks like, and IMO it’s a lot healthier than places that let the rich walk free after being caught red-handed, while the poor get locked up for life or murdered by the state over trivial, non-violent crimes.
snuze 7y ago
The broken windows theory introduced by Wilson and Kelling.

ckris 7y ago

> The reason that even minor crimes (stealing a bicycle) are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. Doesn't seem like the best argument, because that isn't necessarily how the rule of law works. Taking abandon property isn't necessarily theft, even using a non-abandoned bike isn't necessarily theft but something like "unlawful usage", and if you don't intend to keep the object it is even less theft. It many countries it isn't a "minor crime" to leaving an abandoned bike with the police, but simply what you are supposed to do. But apparently Tokyo has a big problem with abandoned bikes [0]. You sentiment mostly just seems to confirm OPs suggestion that people should know their place. https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00444/tackling-tokyo%E2%80%99s-abandoned-bike-problem.html https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h00444/tackling-tokyo%E...

socialdemocrat 7y ago

I think you are post rationalizing. Places like Norway, where I live have far more chill police and would let smaller things slide. Yet Norway is about as safe as Japan. Most difference between crime in Norway and Japan is more likely down to Norway having much larger immigrant population from poorer countries. I think your attitude easily ends up excusing police states. Japanese justice system is highly questionable. Almost nobody ever gets acquitted in the justice system, and prison is rather harsh. Norway gets away with low crime despite (or because of) probably the worlds most liberal prison system. Don't get me wrong. I admire a lot about Japan, but I think you easily fall into the trap of thinking that everything great about Japan is directly the result of something bad. I would argue more important factor causing law crime in Japan is much the same as in Nordic countries. Low levels of inequality. How people are socialized. Stricter gun laws. And let us not forget that the average age is high in Japan. Older people commit a lot less crime.

nihonde 7y ago
Japan polices itself so that the police generally don’t have to. I don’t know about Norway, so I won’t comment. I can tell you it’s easy to avoid trouble with the state in Japan. Your biggest worry is going to be an older person who enforces social norms, which is exactly what got GP here.
sithadmin 7y ago
>And let us not forget that the average age is high in Japan. Older people commit a lot less crime. Japan has actually been seeing a rise in crime among the elderly population lately: https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/11/22/500040363/golden-years-iron-bars-japan-sees-rise-in-crime-by-the-elderly https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/11/22/500040363/...
d0100 7y ago
> Stricter gun laws. In a country of literal ninjas and samurais, this is the most inconsequential of all the reasons you gave.
- nostalgk 7y ago

99052882514569 7y ago

>The reason that even minor crimes (stealing a bicycle) are taken seriously is that letting small things slide is the beginning of an erosion of the rule of law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#Criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory#Criticis...

not_a_cop75 7y ago
I certainly don't feel bad throwing a wrapper on the ground if the whole ground is full of wrappers already. I wouldn't anymore anyway, but it's largely true - people feel worse about committing a crme when they know others don't or aren't doing it.
- cgriswald 7y ago
  I think it goes the other way, too: “Why should I carry a wrapper around when ‘no one else’ is?”

turk73 7y ago

Ah yes, "Broken Windows Theory" The issue I have with it is, the law must apply to all equally. In the US, our well-connected public officials get away with serious crimes and the underclass has no money to forfeit, so they also get away with serious crimes.

endorphone 7y ago

Your post sounds like some sort of Stockholm Syndrome manifestation. The other poster found a bicycle seemingly abandoned in a public place, and the police response quite correctly sounds ridiculous. That you so casually refer to yourselves as Gaijin -- which is a manifestation of Japan's incredible cultural insecurity and xenophobia -- should be indicting Japan, not somehow used to defend them. Gaijin or not [1], he has every right to have opinions about things. Multiple detectives investigating a bicycle theft is absurd. This has positively nothing to do with the broken window theory, but instead is exactly what the article talks about which is an overstaffed police force with little to do. And it doesn't have little to do because Japan is such a cultural gem. It has little to do because Japan is facing a population implosion as the population ages with few children. Youth and young adults are, unsurprisingly, responsible for most crime, and when you have few in that demographic crime drops. No surprise. [1] It's interesting to think about this in the context of a Japanese person in, say, Canada. They meet with a ridiculous scenario with a ridiculous response, and when vocalizing to a coworker how ridiculous it is they are told that they are a smug foreigner and need to shut the hell up. That would be simply outrageous, and is the sort of thing the worst sort of racist would resort to.

goobynight 7y ago
For what it's worth, I wish I even had a single detective working my bicycle theft case. Hell, put an intern on the case just to make me feel like something might happen. Right now, property crime reports just blatantly go into the void in US cities.
- smsm42 7y ago
  Yes, when I got my bike stolen - in broad daylight, in front of a public place - the response was pretty much "sucks to be you, good luck with the next one, we can take report if you want but don't expect anything happening because it never does".

notfromhere 7y ago

He saw an abandoned bike in a field and took it home to get rid of it. The police definitely overreacted, and you just showed by 'broken windows' policing has a whole problem with implicit bias as the police seemed pretty prejudiced for him being a foreigner even though no crime was actually committed.

wst_ 7y ago
It wasn't for him to decide if this bicycle was abandoned or not. When you live in Japan you learn very fast how the law works. You do not touch anything that is not yours under any circumstances. In situation described as above you do not take the bike. Instead you call the police and report that is has been abandoned. It's trivial, really. And yes, maybe police was a bit prejudice in this case. But statistics and practice shows that vast majority of Japanese would not take this bike and this I can confirm first hand. Overall I think it was a good lesson. No harm done to anyone but the OP will remember for the rest of his life that he should not touch what's not his.
nihonde 7y ago
Every bike in Japan needs to registered with the police. Also, there are very specific rules governing abandoned property. Just saying “well no one else was using it” isn’t proof of the absence of a crime. Edit: moreover, this is a well known thing that foreigners do: https://www.google.com/amp/s/soranews24.com/2017/08/16/please-dont-make-the-stupid-mistake-of-taking-an-abandoned-bike-for-a-ride-in-japan/amp/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/soranews24.com/2017/08/16/pleas...
- artsyca 7y ago
  Duude I should've read this beforehand, well appreciated