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Gaijin Card - DON'T Leave Home Without IT!

Pachipro

JREF Resident Alien
Rest in Peace
19 Jan 2005
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Back in the late 70's video rental stores started popping up in Japan and they were promoting a new service where they would copy a full length commercial movie onto a video cassette for the measly price of about 500yen per movie if you provided the cassette or 1,000yen if they provided it. (Record stores started this trend in the early 70's with the copying of albums onto cassette tapes for a similar price.) It didn't matter if it was a US movie or a Japanese movie; the price was still the same and they were copied from laser discs, so the quality was high. This was better than sliced bread at the time as one could now own movies or albums for a fraction of their original cost which were quite high in Japan and view them in the comfort of ones home. I think a music album was selling for about 5,000yen and a movie would sell for about 15,000yen back then; very high prices at the time. This was all legal and the record and movie companies didn't start complaining until some years later.

One must remember here that the advent of the home video recorder was only a couple of years old at the time so this was something special and exciting to those that could afford a VCR back then. To be able to watch commercial movies in your own home was just unbelievable at the time.

Anyway, I had become a member of one of these video stores when I purchased my first VCR back in about 1980 (cost me about $1,000 at the time (about 250,000yen!) It was worth every yen back then for this new technology and I started having movies recorded like crazy. The first movie I had recorded was "Casablanca". I was ordering a few movies a week and would always ride my bicycle to order and pick them up.

One night I was returning from the video store at about 11pm on my bicycle when I noticed the flashing of the familiar red lights of a Japanese police car that had passed me in the opposite lane and made a u-turn to come up behind me. Okay, I thought, they're probably just going to ask me for my gaijin card. No problem. My bicycle light was on so this was just going to be a routine stop. I've been through this a few times in the past several years so I figured no sweat.

I stopped my bicycle and waited for them to come up to me. Two policemen approached from the rear, one on either side of me. Seeing that I was a foreigner one started speaking in really, I mean really, bad broken English.

ツ"Goodu ebiningu sir. Ah you fromu Zama campu?ツ" I answered in English that I was not from the base and that I was a student. Seeing that he was having a little difficulty with the word student I answered in fluent Japanese as I wanted to get back home and watch my new movie. He replied in Japanese that he was surprised that I could speak Japanese and asked what I was doing and where I was going. I told him. He then asked for my gaijin card. ツ"Sureツ", I replied, and reached around to my back pocket to retrieve it. To my utter astonishment it wasn't there! I realized that I had left it home on my kotatsu (small Japanese table with a heater under it)! What an idiot! This was like the first time I ever left my home without my gaijin card and I get stopped by the police! I think the last time I was asked for my gaijin card was maybe three years previous.

With my heart beating real fast, I told the officer, in the politest Japanese I could muster up, that I left it home and that if they would come to my apartment, I would show it to him. He didn't know what to do and asked his partner. His partner said that they could just take me home and see if it was there and check it. The questioning officer sucked air, scratched the back of his head, and said he was unsure and would have to check with his superiors. As he walked back to his car to get on the radio with his superiors I thought to myself what a bunch of keystone cops (idiots) these two were! Couldn't they make a decision by themselves? This seemed so simple, I thought. Well, what may seem like a simple solution to foreigners was not as simple to the Japanese as I was about to find out.

After a couple of minutes, the questioning officer returned and said that they would take me home and have a look at my gaijin card. Whew, was I relieved. They loaded my bicycle into the trunk and I got into the back seat for the five minute ride to my apartment.
During the ride the other officer turned to me and said in Japanese, ツ"What kind of movies did you have recorded? Porno movies?ツ" and he laughed. I told him that they were just US movies, but I had a feeling he didn't believe me. What an *******, I thought.

When we got to my apartment, they unloaded my bicycle and escorted me into my apartment. They didn't even wait in the genkan (entranceway). They entered my apartment like they belonged there! I showed them that my gaijin card was on my kotatsu and gave it to the questioning officer. He looked it over while the other officer walked around my apartment opening a drawer, my clothes closet and the closet where I kept my futon. I found this rather repulsive and an invasion of my privacy as I didn't think he had a right to do that. But I didn't say anything as it was I who broke the law and could've been arrested or taken in. I felt I was lucky for not being taken in.

The questioning officer said that everything was ok and said he was just going out to the car to let his superiors know. Before leaving he mentioned that he was surprised that I had a typical Japanese apartment with no furniture other than a TV, a desk, a clothes closet, and a few small cabinets that held my phone and other personal effects (Also known as ツ"Color Boxesツ" in Japan.) I told him that I was very comfortable living this way and rather enjoyed it. He said that he expected to find a typical American style living arrangement with a sofa, coffee table, kitchen table, etc.

Anyway, he went out to the patrol car and the other officer just made small talk about the university I was attending, if I liked Japanese food, etc. etc. All the things I have been asked a countless number of times before by Japanese people.

After a few minutes the questioning officer came back in, bowed and apologized to me because he would have to take me in to the station! WHAT? It seems his superiors had checked the regulations and the regulations said that any foreigner that did not have his gaijin card with him at the time of being asked for it had to be taken to the police station. This was really turning into a nightmare now. I had showed them my gaijin card. It was legal. It proved I was a student. Why in God's name did they have to take me to the station? Just because I didn't have my gaijin card on my person a mere 5 minutes distance from my apartment? Can't anyone in this country make a decision by themselves? Must they always go word for word by the book?

In Japan, the sad answer is yes as everyone is afraid to make a decision for themselves. I had seen this before in any number of situations where no one is willing to make a decision without first checking the rules, or with their superiors, or with the group. When in doubt (which they always seem to be), they go by the book. Well, it seems even this officer's superiors couldn't make a decision on this one either and even THEY had to check with the regulations and were going by the book. How simple, I thought, it would be for someone to say, ツ"Ok, no problem. Your gaijin card is in order, just don't forget it again.ツ" Case closed. But nooooo. Not in Japan.

So, the questioning officer apologized again and offered to give me a ride back home after questioning. Big deal! I thought. Thanks a lot! I was then driven to the police station in Zama city where I was questioned for almost two hours! This may surprise some as it sure as hell surprised the hell out of me. They not only asked for information about me, but also about my family, my mother and father, my brothers and sisters, their names, addresses, ages, names and ages of their husbands/wives, children, if any, and just about anything you could think of. The information was extremely personal and quite unnecessary and a severe invasion of privacy. But this was their country and I had broken their law. I was probably questioned as they would question any Japanese, as they were reading from a book on this interrogation!

Although I gave the correct names of my family I gave them false addresses as I figured this was none of their business and if they did check, and it was found to be false, I would just tell them that they must've moved. They never checked. It was just routine questioning they probably ask of anyone and everyone, Japanese or not.

After this questioning was over, I was informed that I would receive a summons to appear in court in Yokohama and that it would be in my best interest to have a formal letter of apology ready to hand to the judge so that he may go light on me. Go light on me? I thought. What for? For not having my gaijin card on me? Jeeze, what a strict country! And how senseless, I thought, for something so simple as not having one's gaijin card on their person. I was also told that I could receive a financial penalty, be deported from the country, or maybe even receive some jail time! Oh great. Now I may be even kicked out of the country for just forgetting my gaijin card. (I really didn't think I would receive any jail time for such a small infraction.) And with only a year or so left until graduation to boot!

I was then taken home by the same two officers who apologized to me again. I was then summoned back to the police station a week or so later for further questioning by two detectives who asked me the same questions I answered previously. How redundant. But hey, this is Japan. Live in Japan and you live by their rules and laws.

Well, in Japan, as the old saying goes, their bark is worse than their bite. I received my notice to appear in court in Yokohama about two months later. I dressed in a suit and had my letter of apology in hand, written in Japanese by a friend of mine to ensure there were no mistakes and who also went with me to court. I appeared before the judge, bowed real low, apologized, and handed my formal letter of apology to him. After he read it he said that I had broken a law and that since I was remorseful, no action would be taken against me. However, he said that if I was caught without my gaijin card again I could receive jail time, be fined, be deported from the country or all three! I was then dismissed with no fine or other action against me. I bowed real low and left.

As we rode the train home I reflected on the hassle and worry I went through these past couple of months for something so simple (to me) as not having my gaijin card on my person when asked for it. But it did not diminish my view on Japan or my love for the country as this was the law where I was residing and, like any Japanese person, I was expected to obey the law no matter how inane and senseless it seemed to me.

In Japan rules are rules and the law is the law, and everyone is expected, and required to, follow the law, but the courts are really quite lenient when one shows true remorse as I was to find out later on when I got busted for possession of an illegal substance. For some reason, this court appearance, for not having my gaijin card, never came into play or was brought up when I was busted. I wonder why? Maybe after three years or so it was stricken from the records.

Needless to say, I never forgot my gaijin card again and I recommend that if you live in, or are visiting Japan, do not get caught without your gaijin card or passport as you will be in for the hassle of your life.
 
wow- wild story Pachipro, and good advice.

Maybe it is my trusting face or anglo looks, but I have never been stopped for my card (all the years I was in Japan) nor questioned in customs, nor had my bags checked.

Only trouble I every had - once overstayed my visa as a high school student for two days, but since I had a ticket home, and was already checked into the flight, the folks at the airport figured I wasn't worth the trouble, rolled back the dates on their stamps, made me buy a 3,000 yen extension to my visa, and made me "legal" for my remaining hour in Japan.
 
This confirms all my worse doubts about things that have not yet happened to me but could happen. I already knew that the Japanese police could arrest anyone without proof of anything for up to 21 days, and treat the "suspect" like **** during that time.

Given my own experience of discrimination by the Japanese police, and those of others like you, I just do not want to stay in Japan anymore. Just the idea of being stopped by the police at any time, and maybe be arrested and get a jail sentence for not having one's gaijin card is just against human dignity. In you case, I would have lodged an official complaint to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - especially if you had been sentenced to jail or deported. I am serious about it. If that is not discrimination, it is at least abuse of power by the police (which is not in any way better).

I remember the time a police car stopped my at noon in Otemachi, in front of thousands of onlookers to my utter embarassment. They only checked my bicycle regitration that time, but I suppose I was lucky as I was in a hurry when I left, and had forgotten my whole wallet at home ! (the first time such a thing had happened to me in Japan, which added to my nervosity while being questioned by the officer). Well, had he decided to ask me my gaijin card like 2 others had done before, I may have been in as much trouble as you went through (+ miss my appointment).

I already resented them for making me arrive 5min late when I was already 1min late, in addition to the embarassment of being treated like a criminal in front of so many people. Had they taken me in or whatever, I would have sued them in court and left Japan for good. I am very sensitive to these things.

I understand that Arudo Debito ask them to prove that they are real police officers or tell them that they do not have the right to check bicycles of alien registration cards. I consulted a lawyer on the matter, and indeed (as Debito mentioned on his site), Japanese police officers don't have the right to check bicycle registration if you don't want to (and you can tell them you don't want) and don't have the right to check your alien registration card (gaijin tourokusho) if you are not a suspect for a crime or have done something illegal. This might be new since what happened to you, Pachipro, but I otherwise do not understand why the court would have told you that you were in infraction, while in fact the police had no right to ask for your gaijin card in the first place. So, if you want, you could sue them back now (if the prescription period hasn't expired).

I can imagine that any Westerner naturalised Japanese should have a really hard time to deal with the cops. First of all, Japanese cops always assume that a Westerner cannot speak Japanese. So how do you prove to them that you are Japanese if you are ? Anybody who doesn't want to show their gaijin card or has forgotten it could claim they are Japanese and therefore don't have one (esp. if they speak Japanese). How would a Japanese cop verify that, unless the "victim" (the person checked) has his/her passport or driving licence on him/her ? (if they have one !) In case they don't have such document (at all or on them), the police would probably also follow them to their house to get a proof. That is extremely troublesome, especially if the same routine has to take place every single time this Western-looking Japanese get checked. For someone like me, it would mean several times a year. There is no way I would let the cops into my house if I haven't done anything wrong. Were I Japanese, if they cannot trust a fellow Japanese, then its their problem, not mine. They cause the trouble, not me. They are the disturbance to peace and social order, not the poor Western-looking Japanese. That is the reason I opted for permanent residency and would never ever want Japanese citizenship. In a country where your fellow citizens and the authorities cannot believe that you are national of that country if you don't look like one, you are as good as an illegal immigrant in the eyes of the police.
 
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Mandylion said:
Maybe it is my trusting face or anglo looks, but I have never been stopped for my card (all the years I was in Japan) nor questioned in customs, nor had my bags checked.

Well, I don't think I look scarier and less trusting than you (and I have seen your picture), but whenever I pass the re-entry customs at Narita Airport, they check the content of my bag. Actually no, they don't check me when I clearly show that I am with my wife, but they check me whether we pass one by one. The typical situation is having dozens of Japanese passing the customs gates without being checked, then I arrive, the only clear foreigner in the pack, and they customs officer starts asking me where I am coming from, what is in my bag, ask me to open it, etc. with suspicious eyes. And my wife waits just a few meters behind in disbelief...

At the X-ray machine (at Haneda or Narita), they have checked my shoes, pockets and bottle of water (!) all 3 times I have been to these airports in the last few months. Interestingly, once I was also with my sister and her partner, in addition to my wife, and I was the only one to be body checked. They could see we were together (as we were talking together), so why would I look more suspicious than them ? What are they afraid of ?
 
I found it interesting that Japan had more questions as to why im in Korea than Korea did. They didnt actually care about the fact that I was coming to Japan for a couple of days! So yeah, I had my bag checked, which luckily I only had packets of shin ramyun and other things that I didnt have to declare.

I never once thought to take my passport with me at all times, I dont even do that here... next month, I will be sure to remember.

Thanks for another great story Pachipro! Im your biggest fan
 
Whoo, unnerving and a half, Pachipro. :eek: Thanks for sharing the story with us.

I really hope there is never such a thing in the UK... because of talk of the ID cards... I can see why some people agree with it but it makes me uneasy. :cry:
 
Geez. This guy got hosed.

That's crazy.

I have never had my bags searched at the airport. Which says a lot.

Once time I got hassled by cops about my gaijin card. It really ticked me off too. Luckily, I wasn't far from my office, and was able to get a buncha Japanese employees to back me up. They ended up yelling at the cops and demanding they apologies for harrassing me. Pretty cool.
 
The only missing thing was Karl Malden. Great story, as usual!

Speaking of airport hassles, twice my bags had to be hand-searched and it was for the same reason: a deodorant spray can! Last month, when they did the hand search, they took out the deodorant can from my suitcase and put it in my carry-on bag! Go figure!
 
ArmandV said:
Speaking of airport hassles, twice my bags had to be hand-searched and it was for the same reason: a deodorant spray can! Last month, when they did the hand search, they took out the deodorant can from my suitcase and put it in my carry-on bag! Go figure!

In my case, there is never anything wrong, yet I am always the one to be searched. Go figure too !
 
Maciamo said:
In my case, there is never anything wrong, yet I am always the one to be searched. Go figure too !

They're just jealous of our charisma!
 
Yeah, it does seem kind of rediculous having occurred some 25 years ago. If I knew the regulations then or there was an internet then, I may have acted differently. But I don't know. They can put the "pressure" on you in other ways.

Maciamo, you may be interested in reading this. I posted this same story on another forum a while back and another person answered me with almost THE SAME EXACT STORY. And his experience occurred in August of 2005! This year! You can read his story here. I am amazed that in all these years nothing has changed. Also, read further down the post to his reply about what would happen if you refused to go to the police station. I think you will be pretty surprised at the actions they (the police) will take. To top it off this man has lived in Japan for 15 years, married a doctors daughter and was a teacher at a University! I'd be interested in reading your comments here.

Will anything ever change?
 
Maciamo said:
Well, I don't think I look scarier and less trusting than you ...
most likely true :)

I don't know what it is - I am often in situations in customs in Japan that would make any officer want to take a closer look.

- I often travel alone, and am male - in the US, that alone is enough to earn you a search and I have been many times. Only once was I with a group (as a student) going through Japanese customs

- On more than one trip I have had my bags pop open (thank goodness for luggage straps) in the customs area, and I would have to repack on the spot. Opening your bags in customs is a big no no. Once this made me the very last person out of control. If I had been an officer, I would have stopped myself for that one...

- I often have a lot of stuff (possible duty to be assessed)

But yet I have never gotten more than a "Anything to declare?" and a nice smile going through a number of Japanese international airports from probably about 15 times in all my years. The passport stampers hardly look at me and almost never open their mouths unless I filled something out wrong.

However, in the US, my search % is up around 80! I just expect it now and try to go with the flow - nothing worse than pissing off a customs agent when you are on their turf...
 
One thing I should mention here is that in the 17 years since I left Japan I have returned at least once a year, sometimes twice, both alone and with my wife, and I have never once been asked by customs to have my bags checked.

Also, during my stays in Japan, I have never been asked once for my passport or gaijin card and I am out and about every day when I visit. Go figure.

Kara_Nari said:
I never once thought to take my passport with me at all times, I dont even do that here... next month, I will be sure to remember.
I would't worry if I were you Kara as they probably figure you are Japanese anyway. I don't think they'd want the embarrassment of asking someone for a passport or gaijin card and they turning out being Japanese.

On the other hand, a westerner who has become a Japanese citizen, that's another matter as they would probably find it hard to believe that a westerner would become Japanese and would feel it was "within their right" in asking a foreign looking person for identification.

Kinsao said:
I really hope there is never such a thing in the UK... because of talk of the ID cards... I can see why some people agree with it but it makes me uneasy.
The same here in the US. There is talk of a national ID card for all citizens being mandatory. If that were to happen, it would be just like Japan or a police state in that the police would be within their rights in asking ANYONE for their ID Card whether they had round eyes or not. I have a wieird feeling that this is going to happen in all countries before too long, especially with the riots going on in France and all.

Maciamo said:
Given my own experience of discrimination by the Japanese police, and those of others like you, I just do not want to stay in Japan anymore. Just the idea of being stopped by the police at any time, and maybe be arrested and get a jail sentence for not having one's gaijin card is just against human dignity.
I can understand your fear, but believe me their bark is worse than their bite. That experience did not deter me from staying in Japan or wanting to retire there as, although I have related a few run-ins with the police in my more than 15 years of living there, all were minor except being busted. I think I was stopped on my bicycle about 4 times total, and asked for my gaijin card less than maybe 10 times total. I also received one speeding ticket at which time I was not asked for my gaijin card. Just my license. But I think that had to do with living near a military base more than anything as I never had a run-in with the police or was asked for my gaijin card outside of that city. Not in Tokyo, not anywhere. Maybe you just have bad luck. I don't know. It sure seems you are stopped more than anyone.
 
Thanks for the bump kameron as it is still wise advice today, especially today!

Above, I posted a link to a similar story that occured 25 years after my own and to the letter as my own. Since that forum is closed I will post it below as well as in the thread by Glenski about changes to the Gaijin card.

Many people should understand that in almost 30 years things have NOT changed if you get caught without it on your person. In fact these days, it may be even more severe.

slapdasch; Sept 2005; Sushicam forums said:
What follows is my own tale of "don't leave home without it"woe. The events described occurred one month ago.

Over the recent Obon holiday, my Japanese wife and I drove from our home in Aomori to Nakajo-machi in Niigata. The trip to my wife's parents'house was uneventful. The next day, while driving around town, I glanced in the rear view mirror and saw a police vehicle behind me. Having done nothing illegal, I didn't think much of it. When the light changed, I moved on, hitting the brakes briefly to negotiate a bend in the road. On went the red flashing lights of the trailing car and I immediately pulled over. The officer informed me that the top part light of my brake light had burned out. He had me stand behind the car while he hit the brake to make the point. He then asked for identification. I showed the two ids I had, a Japanese driver's license and an employee card from the Japanese college I work for. Predictably, that wasn't enough, he wanted to see my gaijin card. I knew I'd forgotten it - something I'd realized half way on the road from Aomori to Niigata - so I fessed up. (I keep two wallets, one with overseas "stuff" and one for Japan. Most items stay separate, but the gaijin card, since it's needed in country and to exit and reenter, "floats" between the two billfolds. Anyway, the surf wasn't up and the card was in the wrong wallet). The officer said I had broken the law and he had no choice but to ask me to accompany him to the police station. He sat in the front seat and I drove, while a second cop took the wheel of the police car.

At the station, I was immediately seated in a small interrogation room on the second floor. Two police officials came in and told me they could not release me without special permission from "higher authorities." My wife was called on the phone and came in to the station. We met briefly and were then informed that I would be questioned alone. An interpreter was called in from Niigata City. I was questioned for 5 and-a-half hours; they wanted to know, in excruciating detail, where I'd been before I was stopped, where I was going, who I knew in the area, what was my version of the circumstances of being stopped and the like. Later, I found my wife, who I'd imagined was just waiting for me, had been questioned for 3 hours herself, mostly on the topics of how we had met, when we got married, and relatives on my side of the family. (I might add that I have been in Japan for 15 years, and have permanent residency. Plus, my wife's father is a doctor who the police knew by name. These points were obvious to the attending officers from the start, but didn't count for much as the wheels of justice ground inexorably on). At the end of the questioning, I signed a statement that explained how and why I had been stopped, why I didn't have the id and offered a sincere apology for my offense. My wife and I were then told permission to let me go had been approved.

So, is that all there is? Not so fast, junior. This was a Friday and I was informed I had to return the following Monday for another 8 hours of questioning!! In the meantime, my wife had to take the train back to Aomori - a 6 hour trip each way and not cheap - to retrieve my gaijin card and passport for the Monday encounter. I was also told not to leave the house we were staying at during the two days.

On Monday, the questions went on for 8 and-a-half hours. The day got off to a bad start when I was asked to voluntarily have a mug shot taken and to be fingerprinted so that the information could be fed into a database and provide proof that I had not committed crimes elsewhere in Japan. The opportunity was declined. For the interview I was asked about everything from the name of the elementary school I went to to details about current personal finances. I refused to answer many of the questions, which nobody seemed to mind. (It should probably be noted that at no time during this entire episode was anyone hostile or threatening. The treatment I received was downright solicitous; I was asked if I wanted to take breaks, if I wanted something to drink, etc. That surface harmony has to be maintained even while - especially while? - the screws are being put to you).

And it's still not over. My case comes up, they didn't say when, before a prosecuter in Niigata who has 3 options; 1) to drop everything 2) to call me in for further questioning or 3) to prosecute.

My own reaction to all this: a mixture of amazement and disgust. The entire process says a lot more about Japan's ongoing lip service to internationalization, its guilty till proven innocent "justice" system and its inability to fathom the inscrutable minds of foreigners than it does about one individual's respect for the law. You almost have to laugh at the degree of heavyhandedness and overkill. Almost.
 
wow- wild story Pachipro, and good advice.
Maybe it is my trusting face or anglo looks, but I have never been stopped for my card (all the years I was in Japan) nor questioned in customs, nor had my bags checked.

Wish I could say the same as Mandy here. But, of the 10 or so times I have flown through KIX (Kansai, Osaka) I have be randomly searched either 6 or 7 times.
One time comes to mind that was pretty amazing, I was flying in from Dubai and my flight was delayed, so I arrived with about 35 mins to get threw customs, baggage, switch to domestic, go back threw security, and get to my connection. As usual the customs line took at minimum 15 mins. I came to find out after about 10 mins of waiting at the baggage carousel that my luggage never made it out of Dubai, so I had to fill out paper work on where I would be staying, so they (ANA) could deliver my luggage. I did all of the requested paperwork, leaving me with approximately 15 mins to get to my flight.
Being escorted by an (as always attractive) ANA help crew I got to the baggage check. I am pretty sure the dude just wanted to check out the ANA chick, but he stopped me none the less to look through my carry-on of all things. Then he went on the the usual rhetoric what will you be doing in Japan, what is your job, blah, blah. I am thinking are you kidding me here, my flight leaves in less than 15 mins and you are checking my luggage asking me questions for the second time I already answered in customs.
Lucky for me the ANA gal was on my side and she intervened some speeding up the process, we got to an ANA window where they did have my domestic connection already waiting. So as amazing as it sounds I did make my connection, with approximately 2 mins to spare. I credit it the cutie that got me threw the baggage area. Where ever you are Arigato!!
 
While we were in Japan my wife made a short trip back to Finland for a family member serious illness while I stayed in the country. When she came back, her luggage was searched at the kansai airport. She was bringing some more clothes for me and I guess they had hard time getting their heads around that one! Especially when there was really no common language to use! :LOL:
 
This whole gaijin card biz is a lot of crap. The government should scrap it. But I am afraid that more governements will institute it in the future. I am more afraid that they will institute ID cards for everybody. Big Brother is getting stronger. Thank you, Obama and George Bush.
 
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This whole gaijin card biz is a lot of crap.
Weird response. It may be alot of crap as you put it, but it's crap you have to put up with if one desires to live/work in Japan. Not unlike an alien registration card in the US. The only difference is that you will probably never be asked to show it in the US unless you are arrested or something.
 
Oh really?

Weird response. It may be alot of crap as you put it, but it's crap you have to put up with if one desires to live/work in Japan. Not unlike an alien registration card in the US. The only difference is that you will probably never be asked to show it in the US unless you are arrested or something.

As the US gets tougher don't be too sure. Foreigners are having a harder time in the US. I think things will improve under Obama but we shall see.
 
If you speak Japanese

The police are supposed to ask you first what nationality you are. They cannot just ask you for your GC based on appearance alone. If they do you can ask why they did not ask you your nationality first.

I was once asked for my GC altho of course being J I did not have it. (Was with foreign friends speaking English.) I told the officer I was J and when he gave me a strange look I gave him an impolite answer (which being older now I would not today).

Anyway, anyone can be asked for their GC or ID and I hate that. But unfortunately that is the trend in the world today.
 
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Don't Lie!!!!

I can imagine that any Westerner naturalised Japanese should have a really hard time to deal with the cops. First of all, Japanese cops always assume that a Westerner cannot speak Japanese. So how do you prove to them that you are Japanese if you are ?

Easy. They can ask for other ID or accompany you to your home to see any other ID such as your passport, naturalization papers, driver's license, etc. So don't lie. Ever. That is the worst thing you can do.

Also increasingly police no longer assume that white folks can't speak the language. And foreigners should not assume that J police can't speak English (while they may pretend not to be able to, according to the person).
 
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