4 ms·

I live in Japan and I've read enough horror stories between the police and foreigners that I'd just like to say, don't mess with police here. They are very nice

I live in Japan and I've read enough horror stories between the police and foreigners that I'd just like to say, don't mess with police here. They are very nice and polite, until they are not. They have been under heat multiple times for apparent human rights violations, which include indefinitely detaining people until they confess of the accused crime. Another beautiful quirk of Japanese law is that you can be held liable for crimes even if you have absolutely nothing to do with them, just by virtue of being family of the person who committed them, like in train suicide [1] or having some (even fairly removed) family member who was in the Yakuza [1] https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/families-fined-for-suicides-in-japan-1.1104002 https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/families-fined-for-su...

cute_boi 5y ago
It's not just Japan, but many part of the world.
- stjohnswarts 5y ago
  I mean humans are humans and I think wanting to be a police office attracts a certain type of person where the per capita of "nice" goes way down vs the general population.
sprayk 5y ago
The first place most foreigners will get a taste of that (or at least where I got a taste) is the policeman with a very long stick standing on a small, raised platform in the train station below the Narita International Airport.
- jdeibele 5y ago
  I'd never heard of this and spent a few minutes searching. I was expecting something like a 10-foot stick but it's more like 4-feet. (paywall but I used Safari's reader mode) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/20/reference/police-who-stand-with-big-sticks/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/20/reference/polic...
  - sprayk 5y ago
    Yea I guess it's big relative to the batons I see police in the US and Europe carrying, but not absurdly big. It was large enough that it looked like it would be awkward to use with any amount of precision. EDIT: read the article in chrome's reader mode, thanks for the tip!
  - dymk 5y ago
    https://archive.is/kkg0N https://archive.is/kkg0N
outworlder 5y ago
I don't know about police, but the most unpleasant experience I've ever had at any immigration was in Japan. They were NOT polite. Even if they found nothing wrong. US immigration is a day at the spa in comparison. Even when the consulate messed up my fingerprints. Cleared up in under two hours, they were cold but polite the entire time - not angry and disrespectful. After I was finally allowed in Japan, 4 hours after I had arrived - thanks to my uncle, a Japanese citizen - everything went fine. Nice people, spent three months there. I'd like to visit again, but I'm dreading the immigration experience.
- iso1631 5y ago
  I've only been to Japan once, but immigration for me (a white male Brit) was no different to Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore etc, just a smile and a stamp. Israel is the only real place I've had more than a "purpose of visit" (although getting in is still far easier than getting out). I went to the states last week to see some colleagues for the first time since 2019 - had to really bit me tongue not to say "Christmas Parties" instead of "Business Meetings", got prodded for a little more info from JFK immigration (a "Law Enforcement professional" from the "Washington DC area" also checked my profile on linked in after I applied for my ESTA)
- fomine3 5y ago
  Recent news shows that Japan's immigration is quite bad for illegal stay non-white foreigners. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220118/p2a/00m/0na/009000c https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220118/p2a/00m/0na/00...
- franciscop 5y ago
  Def sounds like a bad apple/case, I've come into Japan probably around 10-15 times now and it's always been a pleasure, while in the US it's always been more scary with all the questioning and shouting (4-5 times).
- sandman008 5y ago
  Yes, BBC also covered it (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/Bi5xGc7SIj/the_fall_of_the_god_of_cars https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/Bi5xGc7SIj/the_fall_of_the_...) It's called "hostage justice" by critics

cute_boi 5y ago

It's not just Japan, but many part of the world.

stjohnswarts 5y ago
I mean humans are humans and I think wanting to be a police office attracts a certain type of person where the per capita of "nice" goes way down vs the general population.

sprayk 5y ago

The first place most foreigners will get a taste of that (or at least where I got a taste) is the policeman with a very long stick standing on a small, raised platform in the train station below the Narita International Airport.

jdeibele 5y ago
I'd never heard of this and spent a few minutes searching. I was expecting something like a 10-foot stick but it's more like 4-feet. (paywall but I used Safari's reader mode) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/20/reference/police-who-stand-with-big-sticks/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/20/reference/polic...
- sprayk 5y ago
  Yea I guess it's big relative to the batons I see police in the US and Europe carrying, but not absurdly big. It was large enough that it looked like it would be awkward to use with any amount of precision. EDIT: read the article in chrome's reader mode, thanks for the tip!
- dymk 5y ago
  https://archive.is/kkg0N https://archive.is/kkg0N

outworlder 5y ago

I don't know about police, but the most unpleasant experience I've ever had at any immigration was in Japan. They were NOT polite. Even if they found nothing wrong. US immigration is a day at the spa in comparison. Even when the consulate messed up my fingerprints. Cleared up in under two hours, they were cold but polite the entire time - not angry and disrespectful. After I was finally allowed in Japan, 4 hours after I had arrived - thanks to my uncle, a Japanese citizen - everything went fine. Nice people, spent three months there. I'd like to visit again, but I'm dreading the immigration experience.

iso1631 5y ago
I've only been to Japan once, but immigration for me (a white male Brit) was no different to Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore etc, just a smile and a stamp. Israel is the only real place I've had more than a "purpose of visit" (although getting in is still far easier than getting out). I went to the states last week to see some colleagues for the first time since 2019 - had to really bit me tongue not to say "Christmas Parties" instead of "Business Meetings", got prodded for a little more info from JFK immigration (a "Law Enforcement professional" from the "Washington DC area" also checked my profile on linked in after I applied for my ESTA)
fomine3 5y ago
Recent news shows that Japan's immigration is quite bad for illegal stay non-white foreigners. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220118/p2a/00m/0na/009000c https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220118/p2a/00m/0na/00...
franciscop 5y ago
Def sounds like a bad apple/case, I've come into Japan probably around 10-15 times now and it's always been a pleasure, while in the US it's always been more scary with all the questioning and shouting (4-5 times).
sandman008 5y ago
Yes, BBC also covered it (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/Bi5xGc7SIj/the_fall_of_the_god_of_cars https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/Bi5xGc7SIj/the_fall_of_the_...) It's called "hostage justice" by critics