Police in Japan are an interesting bunch. There’s certainly the typical “cop” side that most around the world are familiar with (nosy, aggressive, etc) and it’s always best to be careful around them, especially if you can’t speak Japanese.
On the other hand, they’re also quite good at de-escalating situations. In my experience with American police (the ones in Ohio anyway), they’re more often than not looking to poke and prod you into talking back or doing something stupid, whereupon they get the chance to hit you upside the head and charge you with “disorderly conduct” (contempt of cop). I’ve seen Japanese guys literally push police without getting any kind of citation or arrest, and the police simply calmed him down. Except for this guy.
Japan is somewhere in between the “officer friendly” experience that many baby boomers grew up with in the States, and the modern SWAT team, no-knock warrant, looking for a millionth of a gram of illicit substances movement that seems to be all over.At the local koban police box level, the way Japanese police seek to keep things calm is the way policing was always supposed to be, meaning more about “peacekeeping” than “law enforcement”. Beyond the box, however, it’s a different story. I was stopped in Shibuya with my arms full of shopping bags and asked for I.D. because, according to the police, Shibuya is a “dangerous place”.
I’m not always a fan of Arudou Debito, the formerly American, naturalized Japanese activist who spends a lot of his time drawing attention to himself. I disagree with him in his quest to make sure that onsen and bars can’t choose their customers (even though it’s xenophobic), but he’s definitely someone to listen to when it comes to dealing with police on a daily basis.
Japanese law is such that Japanese citizens do not have to identify themselves to police when stopped, but this doesn’t apply to non-Japanese. Debito, being a white Japanese citizen, is in a great position to get maximum fun out of what would be a relatively simple procedure of handing your foreign registration card over for a routine check. Sorry if you can’t understand Japanese, but I can’t help but laugh imagining what was going through the cop’s head in the video (audio only) below when Debito kept trying to explain to him that he’s Japanese.
This is very relevant because Japan, along with its aging population, is also changing ethnically with immigrants and expats mixing with the population and making it more and more difficult to distinguish “Japanese” on sight. What Debito experienced is going to be an increasing problem as more and more dual-culture/ethnicity Japanese citizens come of age in the next decade.
If you spend a lot of time in Tokyo, especially in the backstreets of busier areas, you may notice police randomly stopping young men for searches on the street. Typically it’s because they are carrying backpacks which may contain (horror of horrors!) drugs or weapons. Of course, whenever we see this happening we’re struck by how normal and passive the guys they stop usually are, so it’s clear they’re just easy targets. Finding non-aggressive otaku in Akihabara is like shooting fish in a barrel.
Granted, in most cases the police begin by being polite and patient, but that doesn’t detract from what they’re doing. Most Japanese, when asked if they can be searched, simply consent, which is a mix of respect for authority and lack of knowledge about their rights.
However, with the advent of technology, these types of searches are being brought out into the public eye, though certainly not into the mass media. We’re starting to see more and more videos pop up on YouTube and NicoNico Douga as searchees use their mobile devices to record their interactions, and they’re getting lots of views in the Japanese corner of the web.
Below is a video of a Japanese (I’m assuming) guy being asked repeatedly by a number of hilariously angry police who just want to see his ID, which he doesn’t have to show. No word as to what prompted this interaction though.
Even in front of Shibuya station, a young man is surrounded by police and searched.
Stopped at night, this guy is patient and firm while refusing to show I.D.
I’m pretty sure this is the same guy as above, so he seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, especially with his KeisatsuKirai (I hate police) channel.
Last but not least, police in Shinjuku spend their day stopping random guys who look suspicious because….well….who knows…
Now the big question is…what’s the law here regarding capturing video of police in Japan? I consulted a lawyer about this, and he said that the “laws are vague”. This isn’t surprising, but I haven’t yet come across an instance of police taking cameras or deleting their contents.
If you find yourself in Japan and being stopped/questioned/imprisoned by the police, this is probably the most useful guide for everyone, regardless of Japanese level.
Post a Comment