Gaijin and the Police

September 6th, 2009 | 0 Comments | Police, Security / Safety |

Japanese cops are usually very nice and the National Police has been, for a great many years, one of the most respected and trusted institutions in this country. Despite this, among some segments of the gaijin community there is great animosity and disdain towards cops. There are quite a few urban legends about how police officers in Japan practically spend all their time scheming how to harass foreigners living here.

I had alluded to this issue indirectly in my previous post; in it I briefly mentioned how a friend had not really believed me, one night when were lost, that we could ask the police for assistance. My friend had not believed me because she had heard that Japanese cops usually mistreat foreigners. I told her that was neither my experience nor the experience of my close friends. I mentioned that I always look for a Kōban (交番 –police box) whenever I cannot find an address and that I cannot help but think there is a good reason children in this country are always taught to look for a cop if they need help. In fact, from the time they are kids Japanese are taught to address police officers affectionately as omawarisan (お巡りさん –Mr. Go Around).

To be sure, like any other place, Japan has its share of bad cops. But I am willing to say those are few and far between (in Costa Rica things are quite the opposite). Be that as it may, I explained to my friend that one of the distinguishing characteristics of the police force in this country is that most of its members are there as a matter of vocation and not because they had nothing else to do. I also mentioned that by far most of the complaints you hear about cops come from citizens of a particular western country. Although more often than not they are unaware of how their own country’s police and migratory authorities work, they whine profusely about what they consider an egregious abuse by the Japanese police; namely, occasionally asking a foreigner at random to furnish his alien registration card showing he is legally in this country.

In the time I have been in Japan I have been asked for my ID thrice. I have always been treated with great courtesy at time of the request and have always received an apology for the inconvenience after showing my document. I have plenty of friends who will tell you the same story. A couple of months ago, Murphy’s Law punished a Filipina friend who has been in Japan for more than ten years. She forgot to take her gaijin card and, needless to say, got asked for it for the first time since moving here. Not having that little document meant she had to accompany the police officers to the station, where she had to wait until a relative brought her alien registration. Once she had shown that everything was in order she apologized for the inconvenience brought on the cops; in turn, they thanked her for her cooperation and apologized for any trouble they might have caused.

The friend that I was talking to about the police was unconvinced and insisted that undoubtedly I was conveying exceptional cases; she had heard about stories of police aggression from several friends. I asked if those friends were from country “X”. She replied that all of them were. Not only was that what I had suspected, I also learned that most of those individuals who “knew” about alleged aggressions had never had problems with the police and never witnessed any of the stories they told.

I told my friend that within the Gaijin community there is one small but strident group made up of querulous whingers whose only hobby seems to be mewling at the legal authority of the police to request an identification document. I filled her in on how in most cases of alleged police harassment against the members of that group one usually ends up discovering that these individuals, when asked for their id card by a police officer, respond that they cannot be bothered because they are citizens of country X (their citizenship somehow gives them a disproportionate sense of entitlement and self-righteousness) and try to remain on their way while ignoring the cops.

In such cases it is common for the police to walk with the person while they continue to request the furnishing of some identification document. Almost inevitably, at some point the person refuses to comply in a bad way; this simply happens to be the best way to ensure the cops ask you to accompany them to the station or the kōban. Failing to heed the officer’s request will induce the cops (usually two) to stand by your side and grab your arm as they become sterner in their request to visit the station. This is where things can go wrong sometimes. The person often “breaks loose” from the officers’ hold and demands not to be touched. This is not bad in and of itself and the situation remains manageable. However, there is always some fool who, in addition to freeing themselves, shove the police. When this happens, the person brings about an entirely different game.