Everyone in Japan PLEASE READ:
Yesterday, my friend from Holland, who’s been living here for two years got arrested. She lost her wallet so went to the police. Instead of helping her they asked where her zairyu card is. “In my lost wallet” she said. Boom. Arrested.
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She was held in a room for FOUR HOURS WITH NO FOOD OR EVEN A SIP OF WATER. Luckily she speaks Japanese but that didn’t help. Bear in mind she went of her own accord because she had lost her wallet.
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Police asked her things like “You didn’t swim here right?” To which she was like, “FROM HOLLAND!!?” Eventually, they said that she wasn’t registered in Japan hence the confusion (bullshit). So they drive her to her house where she had her details and passport etc.
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Japanese police can eat my shit. They are so fucking focused on ruining foreigners’ lives here. Like if she were randomly caught, ok? Maybe that’s a problem. But she went to report a crime of her LOST WALLET IN GOOD FAITH! Fuck off Japanese police I’ve had enough of your shit.
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Forgot to say they told her that her Japanese friend couldn’t join her at all at the police station which is BULLSHIT! They said the same with my bike story last year and my Japanese mate said “no I’m found with him” and they relented.
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That is bullshit. This happened to another friend of mine from Sweden 10 years ago, but he didn’t speak Japanese so he brought a Japanese friend with him to explain the situation. Thankfully, they were understanding. Where in Japan did this happen?
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Jesus. Sapporo this was
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Despicable. Absolutely irrational, unsympathetic, nonsense.
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If I ever go to Japan, I'm making sure I have a minder with me at all times. This is the kind of crap I expect to happen in North Korea or a Middle Eastern country (yes, even the "democracies").
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Yeah like murica
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Geez. Need to have a lawyer here chip in on what to do when this happens.
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Make sure you have your passport if you don't have zairyu card.
But it sounds like a stupid overreaction on the part of the officers in question.
I had a car accident a few years ago and didn't have my license or zairyu card on me. Police just asked me to bring to koban later.
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That's just unbelievable! I don't think I'd want to go to the police here unless I bring my Japanese husband. People tend to listen to him a lot better than they do to me. Really unfair to the people who don't have a Japanese spouse though.
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It's a topic where I laugh at people who claim racism is only an issue in the US or the UK. No, everywhere is racist and, arguably, places with homogenous societies are more racist than diverse ones.
At the very least, we openly argue about racism, not pretend it doesn't exist.
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Seems a little harsh. I lost mine 3 years ago. Went to the imm. office to get a new one. They said, they need a police report to issue s new one. I told them CDN police don't care about that. They said, なるほど, then gave me a new card.
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sorry to hear, should be reported to her Dutch Embassy. Lost wallet earlier this year with residency card, driving licence, credit cards inside. Went to police with my Japanese wife + passport, treated very well. New Residency Card + Driving Licence received on same day.
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O.o you have my deadname...
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Arrested means she was handcuffed? Is the room she was held in for 4hours a police station where she went to or was she sent to a detention center and physically she couldn’t get out?
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From the sounds of it, I don’t think she was actually arrested, but it’s a scary situation nonetheless
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I often go to the conbini behind my office with just my phone in hand (leaving my bag at the office.) The police could totally get me. 
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I don't even take the gomi out in front of my building without my zairyu. But I think it's a good idea, anyway, to have a photo of it on your phone.
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Absolutely abhorrent... This needs to be reported on. This is what happens when they're allowed to simply sweep abuses under the carpet again and again.
![FOCUS: Sri Lankan woman's dying agony disregarded in Japan immigration center](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="680" height="383"><rect fill-opacity="0"/></svg>)
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Bullshit. I lost my zairyu card once, went to the police to report it. No problem. In fact… you need to go to the police to have it re-issued (as you need proof it got lost).
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Exactly. Madness
Looks like your paranoia was totally justified.
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She was told she can’t make a phone call, her Japanese friend can’t come with her and she was transported in a cop car to a bigger facility where she was held for 4 hours. Don’t be pedantic. This is being arrested without the handcuffs.
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I'm very sorry for your friend. This shouldn't have happened. It looks like the police are getting harsher than a few years ago against "foreigners" who is alone. I recently feel that maybe things are a bit changing on the police side. (ctnd)
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(ctnd) A few weeks ago I saw a western guy in his 20s getting interrogated by a policeman in front of a FamilyMart just because he was eating Famichiki or something. The officer was telling him, "But we Japanese don't do that here, eating while walking!" which is of course bs.
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The more I read things like this the more I think my "random" police interaction at Tokyo Station in Nov 2020 wasn't random. I was granted a hardship waiver to visit my wife and I'm glad I had my passport with that visa in it when they asked me if "I was lost"
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I'm sorry for her terrible experience with the useless police, and probably a lot of unreasonable experiences in Japan. I wish her to feel better asap and more Japanese find the fact that our justice system is totally broken.
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Sorry to hear this story. Do you need help to share this story in Japanese? I can help the translation if need be as I’m Japanese.
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シェアしていいよ
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Fortunately I didn't have this experience when I reported a stolen wallet in Shizuoka back in 2018. But:
1. I went with the uni professor I was visiting
2. I'm American, don't tread on me and all that junk
3. Pre-covid nationalism
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City? Sapporo
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