Hi everyone,
(the enclosed attachments are of the other guys front bumper, the close up 1 is the supposed damage)
I'm in some trouble and I need advice, I mean some real stone cold good advice!
The s**t has well and truly hit the fan. So yesterday I was driving to the local post office in my friend's vehicle. I was alone. So I'm driving down the road, I see the post office on the left, I move over to the right side of the road and then reverse into a an empty plot completely off the road next to the post office.
I then went into the post office and mailed my letter. So I leave the post office and there's this guy at the door of the post office addressing himself to me and talking to quite assertively in Japanese. (I only speak English)
I thought at that point I had parked in his space, I said I'm terribly sorry I'm going to go now, he walks off further down the street towards what I presume is his car.
I get in my vehicle and drive home.
15 minutes later there is a knock at the door. It's a policeman accompanied by the assertive guy from the post office door.
I spend the next few hours involved in very bizarre situation. It seems this guy reckons I hit him when reversing into the empty plot. (This point blank! Never happened!) 2 more policeman turn up where I'm living. Apparently these guys are some kind of accident assessors. So now there's three of them buzzing around making lots of noise, the whole streets coming out to look, it's a right circus!
The police are getting out tape measures and flash lights. Everyone is speaking in Japanese, I'm just bewildered and don't know what the f**k is going on. I have to show them my passport, drivers license, and international driving permit. This fiasco goes on all afternoon. Now here's the thing, 1. I definitely didn't hit him. (Like not even close) 2. There's not a mark on my car or his car. 3. It doesn't make sense because I reversed in one fluid movement. Obviously if I'd hit someone I would have felt it and the car would stop. 4. The places where the police say the marks are, (the left side of his front bumper & the left side of my rear bumper) to my mind make no logical sense, he would have been completely out of road position for that to be logical.
Anyway, I think everything is okay and they leave after wasting my day, (actually I haven't a clue how things have been left) I've given the police my friends, brothers phone number. (It's actually his vehicle)
In the evening my friend comes home, she's been speaking to her brother, who's had a phone call from the police. So it seems the police are saying, there has been an accident, it's my fault apparently, and we have to pay for a new bumper for this guy.
My friend is hugely angry, has blamed me totally, and has said in effect, that I have to pay for it. She says it will be at least US$600. I say what about insurance. She says insurance doesn't come into it in this case and her brother only has the very basic insurance anyway.
I say, what about the idea that there is fault on both sides, me and the other guy?
She says, in Japan it works on whoever gets their complaint in first. i.e. Him.
She also says police will always believe the Japanese person over the foreigner.
She naturally doesn't want her brother to pay for this. And obviously wants me to cough up for it. (Money I don't have)
I feel like a huge injustice is going on here. Actually I feel like some kind of scam has been perpetrated on me and us. According to my friend, we just have to suck it up, (or rather I have to) she says, it doesn't matter what we do, these accident policeman have pronounced that there has been an accident, and that's it!
I have in no way accepted liability for anything. But apparently that counts for nothing here.
This seems to me like a legal form of robbery.
The worst of it is, there's not a scratch not a mark, not even so much as a hint of one on either vehicle. These policeman get out flashlights and try and show me something, and I'm like "I can't see s**t"! I'm just wondering if this is some kind of face saving exercise for the other guy.
I really don't know what to do next, I'm pretty worried actually, and need some advice. Am I really liable for this? I mean, like in Europe, the two drivers would get together and agree that there was no damage, shake hands and leave it at that.
I could understand if he actually needed a replacement bumper but he doesn't. This is why I think he's going to pocket the money somehow! Maybe get a friend who owns a garage to write out a dodgy receipt for him.
Anyway please help!!
kind regards Gin
(the enclosed attachments are of the other guys front bumper, the close up 1 is the supposed damage)
I'm in some trouble and I need advice, I mean some real stone cold good advice!
The s**t has well and truly hit the fan. So yesterday I was driving to the local post office in my friend's vehicle. I was alone. So I'm driving down the road, I see the post office on the left, I move over to the right side of the road and then reverse into a an empty plot completely off the road next to the post office.
I then went into the post office and mailed my letter. So I leave the post office and there's this guy at the door of the post office addressing himself to me and talking to quite assertively in Japanese. (I only speak English)
I thought at that point I had parked in his space, I said I'm terribly sorry I'm going to go now, he walks off further down the street towards what I presume is his car.
I get in my vehicle and drive home.
15 minutes later there is a knock at the door. It's a policeman accompanied by the assertive guy from the post office door.
I spend the next few hours involved in very bizarre situation. It seems this guy reckons I hit him when reversing into the empty plot. (This point blank! Never happened!) 2 more policeman turn up where I'm living. Apparently these guys are some kind of accident assessors. So now there's three of them buzzing around making lots of noise, the whole streets coming out to look, it's a right circus!
The police are getting out tape measures and flash lights. Everyone is speaking in Japanese, I'm just bewildered and don't know what the f**k is going on. I have to show them my passport, drivers license, and international driving permit. This fiasco goes on all afternoon. Now here's the thing, 1. I definitely didn't hit him. (Like not even close) 2. There's not a mark on my car or his car. 3. It doesn't make sense because I reversed in one fluid movement. Obviously if I'd hit someone I would have felt it and the car would stop. 4. The places where the police say the marks are, (the left side of his front bumper & the left side of my rear bumper) to my mind make no logical sense, he would have been completely out of road position for that to be logical.
Anyway, I think everything is okay and they leave after wasting my day, (actually I haven't a clue how things have been left) I've given the police my friends, brothers phone number. (It's actually his vehicle)
In the evening my friend comes home, she's been speaking to her brother, who's had a phone call from the police. So it seems the police are saying, there has been an accident, it's my fault apparently, and we have to pay for a new bumper for this guy.
My friend is hugely angry, has blamed me totally, and has said in effect, that I have to pay for it. She says it will be at least US$600. I say what about insurance. She says insurance doesn't come into it in this case and her brother only has the very basic insurance anyway.
I say, what about the idea that there is fault on both sides, me and the other guy?
She says, in Japan it works on whoever gets their complaint in first. i.e. Him.
She also says police will always believe the Japanese person over the foreigner.
She naturally doesn't want her brother to pay for this. And obviously wants me to cough up for it. (Money I don't have)
I feel like a huge injustice is going on here. Actually I feel like some kind of scam has been perpetrated on me and us. According to my friend, we just have to suck it up, (or rather I have to) she says, it doesn't matter what we do, these accident policeman have pronounced that there has been an accident, and that's it!
I have in no way accepted liability for anything. But apparently that counts for nothing here.
This seems to me like a legal form of robbery.
The worst of it is, there's not a scratch not a mark, not even so much as a hint of one on either vehicle. These policeman get out flashlights and try and show me something, and I'm like "I can't see s**t"! I'm just wondering if this is some kind of face saving exercise for the other guy.
I really don't know what to do next, I'm pretty worried actually, and need some advice. Am I really liable for this? I mean, like in Europe, the two drivers would get together and agree that there was no damage, shake hands and leave it at that.
I could understand if he actually needed a replacement bumper but he doesn't. This is why I think he's going to pocket the money somehow! Maybe get a friend who owns a garage to write out a dodgy receipt for him.
Anyway please help!!
kind regards Gin
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