Banned from Japan

[Hope&Faith]

my babe :cigar::joyful::roflmao::hilarious:

Admin edit: Removed pictures per request

 

[Starbucks]

Oh my...
May I ask you why?
They can recognize me, with the second citizenship?

Also... we all make mistakes... I was even "forgiven" with the 5-years probation. we all should get, at least, a second chance...

The fingerprint scan and the facial recognition software in their database is to track people who would do exactly that. Japan is No.1 when it comes to technology. They will know for sure.

 

[Starbucks]

Yes, guys. I'm a *****, insane and helpless right now (ain't sarcastic).
In this moment i'm just over-emotional and can't think rationally.

And, yes, Glenski, there is my future wife involved... I didn't want to talk further about my private life. That's all.
After I discovered that we can't settle a family in her homeland, we tried to figure out a solution, to live together in Europe or Bangkok.
But unfortunately she cannot leave... She is a single child and have to tare care of her old parents in Gunma, everyday. She had to move from Tokyo, quit her job and now is working in a local 7-11, in order to stay with them.
Moreover, my "physical" support would be a great help.
But the immigration was immovable.
We are still in touch, she come to Bangkok to visit me (5-6 hours flight for mere 25,000yen, roundtrip, AirAsia) when she can, but I guess, both of us don't wanna wait until our 50's to marry and have kids that late...
So if I won't find a way, it will be soon over, i guess...
I did a single mistake and I'm a human-being. We all should get a second chance. But of course you can disagree, it's just my point of view about life.
Yes, I don't like that unforgiving system and that sneaky racism that is deep-rooted in that Country. But the love of my life is stuck there, I'm denied to help her and being with her. And, yes, I still love and miss the Country itself as a land, not the system.
Perhaps, thinks will change for the Tokyo olimpics... Let's see.

Yes I consulted some lawyers: about my first passport they were all clear... But no one could guarantee me 100% that coming with the second one it would succeed (the most they could said was: dekiru kana (in japanese "kana", usually is used to predict a 50% chance), because someone made it trough, yes, but could be just fortunate cases where the officers overlooked and maybe were inexperienced trainees. Who knows...
You guys where just my another hope. You never know... Sometimes an unexpected info can come out. But I'll continue to research. Perhaps a foreign lawyer living there, might know more about immigration system holes, compared to Japanese ones. But, geez, international lawyers are damn expensive. LOL. But, at this point no other choice.

Anyway, thank you so much for your time also for the critics regarding my personality. They have to be treated always as a treasure to learn more about yourself, what people can see in you and weren't aware of. I should try to be less emotional and be more rational. Thanks. Really.

p.s. about the punch for "self-respect" maybe was misleading. I should improve my english, sorry. What I meant was that, I wanted to be respected as their law commands: who touch first the other is in the wrong side, always. Japanese law. But they shoved me, laughed at me, thinking they were over the law. Well, they weren't after all, coz they got punished, too.
I had to be smarter that time and keep myself calm and be superior to them... But,
I went down to their level, maybe even below... And that's the result. I'm really a baka gaijin, as they stated while laughing at me. They were right. LOL

If this is the case, you might want to argue that for your girlfriend that you marry her so Japan lets you back in on compassionate grounds not for you but because 3 Japanese citizens will miss you as a breadwinner. Tell them this after marrying her in Bangkok. Even better if you have a child together: 日本への転居手続きに関してのお願い。
私の妻は親の介護と仕事を両立出来ず正社員の仕事からアルバイトの仕事に転職しなければいけなかった理由なので、私がこの家庭の世帯主なので日本に在留させっていた出来なければ私の家族が困ります。私が来日出来なっかたら私の妻は僅かな給料で親の介護と養う義務があるので私の助けが必要なのです。

 

[Hope&Faith]

Thank's a lot for your time and help, too!
Very kind from you, and your Japanese is really good! are you N2 level like me?

 

[Mike Cash]

If this is the case, you might want to argue that for your girlfriend that you marry her so Japan lets you back in on compassionate grounds not for you but because 3 Japanese citizens will miss you as a breadwinner. Tell them this after marrying her in Bangkok.

Look carefully at the Ministry of Justice pdf I linked. Tell me how many examples you see there of people granted special landing permission after committing a violent crime. I'm afraid the MoJ wouldn't be very compassionate toward a case in which the Japanese citizen knowingly married a person after they are permanently banned from entering Japan due to conviction for a violent offense. Even if they had been married for a while at the time of the incident I suspect his chances would be poor.

Marrying her in the hopes that it would convince the MoJ to rescind his ban would be a really bad idea. As you can see, they have no problem refusing reentry to people who were married at the time of their ban being imposed and who had committed what are arguably far lesser offenses. The only circumstances under which they should marry are if they intend to live separately or if she intends to live with him outside Japan. There is a non-zero chance that in the future he might possibly be admitted to Japan again, but they shouldn't pin their hopes on their marriage making a difference regarding his ban.

 

[RolandtheHeadless]

Hope&Faith, I'm surprised that after you hit the one cop, the other three didn't beat the holy crap out of you. That's probably what would have happened in the US, lol.

 

[mdchachi]

I sympathize with your plight. It's hard to imagine because here in the U.S. we have an impeccable police force who would never treat citizens or minorities with anything but the utmost respect.

But I already gave up that idea, thanks to you guys that made me deeply reflect on it.
Funny that those 2 lawyers preferred me to gamble, or at least not trying to convince me that my idea was a pure madness... But I guess that anyone needs to make a living... lol

Do you have some evidence regarding the fact that you were told the ban is temporary? Or was it only verbal? If you have something, you could try to enter the country after that time period and if you are detained you could claim ignorance couldn't you?

You still have a couple years until the period is up. In the meantime try to follow the legal route you've already discussed.

Good luck.

 

[Mike Cash]

You still have a couple years until the period is up.

Two separate issues which create confusion:

1. After the five year suspension of his sentence is over... assuming no subsequent troubles which result in the suspension being vacated and the actual imprisonment imposed (guaranteed, since he was deported)...the record is wiped clean.

2. The specific statute in the immigration law which imposes the permanent ban makes zero allowance for situations where the record has been wiped clean. All that it cares about is whether a person has ever been convicted of a crime punishable by a year or more in confinement. It doesn't even matter whether any time was actually served or not.

His ban is PERMANENT and the only way any person under a ban can have it lifted is through applying for special landing permission from the Ministry of Justice. "But I thought..." and "But so-and-so told me...." will butter no parsnips at the airport and there is zero point to him even showing up at any Japanese point of entry without first having secured the special landing permission beforehand. Even assuming he doesn't get snagged through fingerprint recognition or some other biometric or database means, he would have to LIE about his conviction to get into the country, thereby committing a fresh crime to get arrested, jailed, and deported for.

All of us here know how picky the Japanese can be about letting people come live and work here in the first place. I can't understand why people think they are less serious about it when it comes to the case of people they have made it quite clear they never want to see again. Did anybody read the cases on the pdf?

 

[Hope&Faith]

Sorry for my late reply despite your concern to my case. But at the moment I'm "a bit busy with my gf'.


@mdchachi
First, I wanna point out that 95% jp police is nice and educated.
But according to my lawyer, there are rotten tomatoes in every field, in every country... Moreover I was in the wrong place at the wrong time...
Funny thing I never ever hit anyone in my entire life, and at the first strike it happened with the wrong person and it was fatal.
Lol, I really don't know if to laugh or cry on it.
Furthermore, the prosecutor (for whatever reason, he was convinced I was a violent guy) hired a shrink to make me fill in a 400-questions psychological test about my reactions in certain situations.
The result, of the test confirmed, that I'm generally a peaceful person, with a mere 3% of chance getting provoked. While an average Joe is about 10% chances.
Also, at moment of the crime, was proved that I was "shinjin koujaju" (weak mind and alterated judgment). Means in short, that I was able to distinguish the good from bad at 50%, compared to a sober or mildly drunk person.
Plus, the lies of the police were proved by the CCTV recordings, found by my lawyer helped greatly.
All these proves, decreased the requested detention by the prosecutor from 5 to 2,5 years. But the officer's broken nose, raised the sentence back to 3 years.
But low enough to grant me a suspended sentence (which isn't granted at all, but at discretion of the judge).
So at the last trial, when I was freed, the judge said I had 14 days to appeal (but my lawyer assured me it would be just waste of time and money.).
I decided to not appeal and leave Japan after 12 days, by receiving a "leaving order" by immigration.
I left by myself because my embassy told me, I would leave the country with clean records (except Japan, of course) and being free to travel in any other country in the world, without any problem.
They were very helpful and kind to me (the embassy guys), however they misinformed me, by saying that it was just a 5-years ban.
Back in my country I even asked jp embassy about my case and they confirmed it was just 5 years.
On spring of this year by reading some articles online about other people deported for life with lesser sentences, made me doubt.
I contacted my embassy in Tokyo again, and kindly asked if they could double-check.
3 days later, their response was "PERMANENT BAN" with a tons of documents explaining immigration rules and the pdf as Mike Cash posted.
They regret a lot for their misleading informations and wished me good...
At first I was shocked, speechless...
Then I got pissed, because IN MY HUMBLE OPINION a permanent ban is bull*hit. 10 years would be more appropriate: people grow, change, get wiser and so on. You can't punish for life a young person for a stupid mistake. Ain't a murdered or rapist or terrorist...
I so went up with that crazy idea to use my second citizenship... But it was just an emotional issue. People on this forum, especially Mike Cash, brought me back to Earth...

Unfortunately (for me), if I wanna come back without cheating, as Mike Cash repeatedly stated, I need a "special landing permission", which I'll try to get somehow with an international lawyer in the upcoming years.
Basically you need a valid reason, and the visa is limited to 30 days.

@Mike Cash
Thank you so much for scolding me and make me to step back, from that awful idea which could even worsen my actual situation.
But more than that, thank you for your time. I'll never forget that.

 

[Hope&Faith]

@RolandtheHeadless

I don't know from which state are you, but I wouldn't be surprised if they would kill me. In a country where, (in some states only, fortunately) just because you have a different skin color, you get shot to death, just for trying to escape...
Unbelievable...
Now I understand why many US Yankees, think that Jp law is strawberry....
You should learn humanity from European countries....
P. S. Ain't saying it's about all USA, but just some southern states. For example in the New York city and state, African-American are respected same as white pigs (yes I'm a Caucasian white(? Or pink) pig.

 

[bononogram]

I sympathize with your plight. It's hard to imagine because here in the U.S. we have an impeccable police force who would never treat citizens or minorities with anything but the utmost respect.

This is sarcasm, right?

 

[lanthas]

This is sarcasm, right?

Noooooo.

 

[Hope&Faith]

This is sarcasm, right?

I have no idea about US police. But I know that in some states, they are clearly harsh and racist. But where exactly? Pardon my ignorance.

 

[Hope&Faith]

By the way. Me and my babe, are in koh Samui, Thailand, having a great time together.
Anyway, we had a long discussion about our future last night (after making l**e). We are thinking to move and marry in Taiwan, Taipei.
For her it would be great, coz there the lifestyle is very similar to Japan. And the city looks like a jp city. Also, is just couple hours from narita or haneda.
Repeat... Despite the tiny rooms (lack of space), the city is a sort of "cheaper Tokyo" (good for us).
The 60% of the land is pure forest, similar to jp nature.
She would feel almost at home. She can speak English and Taiwan people is veeeeeeery friendly and warmhearted, unlike many jp" fake smiles".
Also she have her aunt living in Naha.
600km from Taiwan.
That's for now.
After 10 years we'll think how to obtain a special landing permission, in order to take care of her parents.
Please, wish us good luck!

 

[cocoichi]

By the way. Me and my babe, are in koh Samui, Thailand, having a great time together.
Anyway, we had a long discussion about our future last night (after making l**e). We are thinking to move and marry in Taiwan, Taipei.
For her it would be great, coz there the lifestyle is very similar to Japan. And the city looks like a jp city. Also, is just couple hours from narita or haneda.
Repeat... Despite the tiny rooms (lack of space), the city is a sort of "cheaper Tokyo" (good for us).
The 60% of the land is pure forest, similar to jp nature.
She would feel almost at home. She can speak English and Taiwan people is veeeeeeery friendly and warmhearted, unlike many jp" fake smiles".
Also she have her aunt living in Naha.
600km from Taiwan.
That's for now.
After 10 years we'll think how to obtain a special landing permission, in order to take care of her parents.
Please, wish us good luck!

If you want something similar to Tokyo, I think Seoul is a much better option. Make no mistake, Seoul is Seoul and Tokyo is Tokyo, but I found Taipei and Taiwanese people far from similar to Tokyo. Seoul is still cheaper than Tokyo, but I think much closer to the Tokyo experience than Taipei.

How are you going to get a visa for Taiwan, or any other country btw?

Also, I think you are overreacting. "Japanese fake smiles" and stuff. I think that's quite unnecessary to say, plus I don't agree at all.

Nonetheless, I wish you both the best of luck!

 

[RolandtheHeadless]

I didn't say US cops would shoot you, but if you punched a police officer you'd be arrested on the spot and probably get a bit banged up "resisting arrest."

Incidents of cops shooting fleeing suspects are rare. Much has been made of a few isolated incidents. I should probably say no more. I'm a white American, and see these things differently from most black Americans. Racial tensions here are currently at a fairly high point, but I don't believe there is widespread racism in the police force in any state.

 

[Hope&Faith]

If you want something similar to Tokyo, I think Seoul is a much better option.

I don't think so... Recently JP and KR would kill each others... Don't you read the news?

I found Taipei and Taiwanese people far from similar to Tokyo.
How are you going to get a visa for Taiwan, or any other country btw?

Well... her mother's side grand parents are from Taiwan (if you look close to the pic, she doesn't look quite look like a "pure" Japanese, rather from Okinawa or Taiwan (different eyes and nose). So i'm sure she would fit in a culture that belongs 25% to her.

About visa, no worries. there is always a solution. Now i'm in BKK under student visa, but managing my business in Europe online.
Same for her. Visas, recently, are getting easier to get. Except Japan, USA (who cares... not interested) and "maybe" Australia ( I can say so, coz i have many relatives immigrated 45 years ago in Sydney and doing great! They all hold Australian passport. So for me would be vanilla, coz i have a large family there).

, I think you are overreacting. "Japanese fake smiles" and stuff. I think that's quite unnecessary to say, plus I don't agree at all.

Ain't overreacting. Even Japanese citizens explained me that they had been trained to be as much as hospital towards JP and gaijin. Doesn't matter who you are. No feelings, just be polite! It's business like.
So it doesn't come from their heart, rather from a strict education.

Same here in BKK, but for different reasons. They call this land "The Land of Smiles"... lol... I'd rather define it as a " Land of Bribes"...
C'mon... let's be realistic... Even my country is full of ****...

Nonetheless, I wish you both the best of luck!

This is the part of your post I liked most. Wishing to your "neighbor", happiness.
I hope all people would be same as you.... I really appreciate! THANKS dude!

p.s. you know what piss me off more? that i "had" a friend from US (LA, to be precise). He is married to a japanese. Fuc*ing around like a madman, selling drugs, scamming people everyday, breaking noses to several jp citizens, bullying them.... result? he got permanent visa... if this is justice, i'm santa claus...
I said in purpose "had" coz after discovering what he ws doingg, i said him to **** off and stay, at least, 10 miles from me (back in 2009).
checking his facebook profile, he is still living in shinagawa, in a 240,000yen apartment and "doing great" ! **** this world...

 

[Hope&Faith]

I didn't say US cops would shoot you, but if you punched a police officer you'd be arrested on the spot and probably get a bit banged up "resisting arrest."

That's exactly what happened to me. Arrested on the spot and "banged up" a little...
I had several hematomas on my body. But I couldn't accuse anyone, coz I wasn't sure...
At that moment I was "shinjin koujaku"... In english means, semi infirmity (due to the alcohol test). I had enough alcohol in my blood to ending up in coma alcohol, if i would drink one more 630ml Sapporo.

 

[cocoichi]

I don't think so... Recently JP and KR would kill each others... Don't you read the news?

Didn't read anything about it, and I'm sure it's not that bad.

Well... her mother's side grand parents are from Taiwan (if you look close to the pic, she doesn't look quite look like a "pure" Japanese, rather from Okinawa or Taiwan (different eyes and nose). So i'm sure she would fit in a culture that belongs 25% to her.

Sure, if you both like Taipei, go for it! It's just that when I visited, I never had a feeling that it resembled Japan. It's a big city yes, but the people, culture and climate are completely different (to me).


p.s. you know what piss me off more? that i "had" a friend from US (LA, to be precise). He is married to a japanese. Fuc*ing around like a madman, selling drugs, scamming people everyday, breaking noses to several jp citizens, bullying them.... result? he got permanent visa... if this is justice, i'm santa claus...
I said in purpose "had" coz after discovering what he ws doingg, i said him to **** off and stay, at least, 10 miles from me (back in 2009).
checking his facebook profile, he is still living in shinagawa, in a 240,000yen apartment and "doing great" ! **** this world...

First step to become happy is to stop comparing yourself to other people. No one is born equal and/or is given the same chances. Find happiness in the things you have and can accomplish

 

[nice gaijin]

Let's unpack this a little bit. Please try to read this with an open mind

I don't think so... Recently JP and KR would kill each others... Don't you read the news?

I don't know what news you're referring to, but to me it always seems that when the media talks about souring international relations it's usually an attempt to distract people from domestic problems and the failings of their own government. Asian countries in particular love to drum up nationalist fervor over territorial disputes or rehashing the past.

Although there are still some anti-Japanese sentiments in Korea, it is mostly knee-jerk and if anything, based on a small handful of issues. They are relatively accepting on a personal level and I've had Japanese friends that lived there without complaint. It's also a very popular tourist destination for Japanese, so there are neighborhoods that are particularly accommodating. I'm assuming you're concerned for how your girlfriend would be treated, because Japan-Korean relations have pretty much nothing to do with you or how you would be received in Korea.

I have lived in Japan and Korea, and both have their own advantages and disadvantages, some of which are shared. Seoul and other cities in Korea have their own personality, but in general it's a comparable standard of living to Japan. Personally, if I were going back to live in Korea I would prefer Busan over Seoul.

Well... her mother's side grand parents are from Taiwan (if you look close to the pic, she doesn't look quite look like a "pure" Japanese, rather from Okinawa or Taiwan (different eyes and nose). So i'm sure she would fit in a culture that belongs 25% to her.

I've seen the assumptions of Jus sanguinis bite people pretty hard. If she hasn't spent a considerable amount of time in Taiwan, I wouldn't operate under the assumption that she would find it easy to live there.

OK, this brings me to something that bothered me a little bit... Does your girlfriend know that you shared her photo (and some potentially identifying information) with a bunch of strangers on the internet?

Did she give you permission before you posted it?

Did it occur to you to ask first?

Frankly, I don't care what she looks like (as it has nothing to do with this situation) and I felt like even though it was irrelevant, sharing a photo of her was maybe just a bit ego-driven on your part...perhaps you felt like you needed to show off a little? Same thing with the overt overshares about having sex. It's one thing to talk about your situation to get advice, but I think that sharing her photo like that showed disregard for how it would make her feel (if you answered "yes" to the above questions then nevermind, but my guess is that you didn't ask permission).

When you started this thread you were reluctant to say much of anything about your situation, so it's a little jarring how far you've swung in the opposite direction. It's great that you're in love, we can all stipulate that and move on. Some of the things you've written makes me feel a little embarrassed for her. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I'm not picking on you, I'm trying to show you a different perspective on how your actions might be perceived.

As for Taiwan as an option, it's not a bad one. Taiwan also has its own flavor (and diverse settings despite being a small island), and can accommodate a comfortable life; I enjoyed the time I spent there. Like Korea, it's close enough that your girlfriend can visit her parents frequently, or visit you if she opts to live with them in Japan while you try to work out your legal situation.

About visa, no worries. there is always a solution. Now i'm in BKK under student visa, but managing my business in Europe online.
Same for her. Visas, recently, are getting easier to get. Except Japan, USA (who cares... not interested) and "maybe" Australia ( I can say so, coz i have many relatives immigrated 45 years ago in Sydney and doing great! They all hold Australian passport. So for me would be vanilla, coz i have a large family there).

I hope you understand and appreciate the immense privilege with which you walk the earth.

I'll end by strongly agreeing with cocoichi about not comparing your experiences to others'. Not only does it do you no good, it actively does you harm. If you really want to compare yourself to others, think about the people who have it worse than you, so you may better appreciate your own situation.

 

[Hope&Faith]

I don't know what news you're referring to....

South Korea man arrested in connection with Japan shrine blast| Reuters
this is just one example... also after the Kumamoto's occured in April, it was celebrated in Korea....
I have several JP friends with i'm still in contact trough social apps. They were all pissed, about it. And that they never ever will go to Korea again. ENOUGH for them!
Moreover, has been reported that many JP girls traveling in KR, have been raped and gang-banged by kr males... only coz they were JP....
It's since 2012 that the hatred between those countries was raising. And from late 2015, they are on their peak...
Sources: mainly JP friends and KR friends, as well... plus internet, of course.

I'm assuming you're concerned for how your girlfriend would be treated, because Japan-Korean relations have pretty much nothing to do with you or how you would be received in Korea.

EXACTLY!

I would prefer Busan over Seoul.

may I ask why?

I wouldn't operate under the assumption that she would find it easy to live there.

I said: It's just an option for the moment. We didn't decided yet. Let's see...

Does your girlfriend know that you shared her photo.... (if you answered "yes" to the above questions then nevermind, but my guess is that you didn't ask permission).

Of course I did! Ain't a kid! She didn't mind at all. All her friends and acquantainces know about her situation... she has nothing to hide and will be always on my side. That's why I love her.
P.s. Just one thing... I wanted to post it only temporarily. 1 week or so. But this is the first forum I encountered, that after 15 minutes, you are denied to modify and delete your post...
About that, I admit, I felt uneasy... what can I do?

When you started this thread you were reluctant to say much of anything about your situation, so it's a little jarring how far you've swung in the opposite direction.

Because before at beginning was asking advices, how to bypass/break the law...
Once I changed my mind, I felt no need to cover myself anymore.

It's great that you're in love, we can all stipulate that and move on. Some of the things you've written makes me feel a little embarrassed for her. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, I'm not picking on you, I'm trying to show you a different perspective on how your actions might be perceived.

I understand your point, bro. Don't worry.
It's just I wanted to show that ain't a "keyboard lion" and show myself up.... but that's also, in part, a fault of my "disorder".
As I stated previously (maybe you overlooked), it's have been 2 years I'm going to a shrink, once a week.
He diagnosticated me, that I'm affected by "Narcissistic personality disorder".
It's not a mental disease, just a disorder that occurs by several events trough your life, and develops in your mind slowly, day by day. But, i repeat, it's a disorder, not a disease. So it's completely reversible (takes years, though...).
The most common symptoms are:

1. Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment from others
2. Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc.
3. Self-perception of being unique, superior and associated with high-status people and institutions
4. Needing constant admiration from others
5. Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others
6. Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain
7. Unwilling to empathize with others' feelings, wishes, or needs
8. Intensely jealous of others and the belief that others are equally jealous of them
9. Pompous and arrogant demeanor

I suffer the points: 1,2,3,4,5 and in rare occasions, 9.
So my posts, in many cases, are the reflection of my disorder. I write them, in that way
unconsciously.... And when someone, will point out my "arrogant behavior", I always feel like: "ahhhh, I did it again.... sh*t..."
I'm sorry...

As for Taiwan as an option, it's not a bad one. Taiwan also has its own flavor (and diverse settings despite being a small island), and can accommodate a comfortable life; I enjoyed the time I spent there. Like Korea, it's close enough that your girlfriend can visit her parents frequently, or visit you if she opts to live with them in Japan while you try to work out your legal situation.

Thank you, but it's still an option, as I said before. We will go there for a trial period of 3 months, with touristic visa and I try together to learn a basic Chinese/Taiwanese...

I hope you understand and appreciate the immense privilege with which you walk the earth.

I appreciate, of course. But my ideology is that shouldn't be a "privilege", rather a "right"....
We are all the citizen of this planet. I always have been against passports and visas.
My dream is an unique Nation, ruled by a Worldwide parliament (in short, similar to EU parliament in Bruxelles, but in Global scale), and people free to travel just with an ID card, coz the planet is OURS. Not yours, not mine, etc...
But that is just my utopian dream... many people laugh at me, how naive I am and that i live in WONDERLAND, when i explain them... so i don't expect to be understood anymore. And let people feel free to mocking me. who cares... lol

I'll end by strongly agreeing with cocoichi about not comparing your experiences to others'. Not only does it do you no good, it actively does you harm. If you really want to compare yourself to others, think about the people who have it worse than you, so you may better appreciate your own situation.

True... but it's much easier say then put that in practice. I'd like you both to be in my skin: banned for life from a Country for a single mistake, while knowing that your ex-friend, is doing **** there RIGHT NOW, and being even been "awarded" with a permanent visa...

 

[nice gaijin]

I didn't know about the yasukuni attack, thank you for the link. It seems like it could be a clear motive, as yasukuni is pretty much the embodiment of Japan's failure to repair relations with the rest of Asia after the war, but the article also says that the suspect hasn't admitted to anything. If the mere mention of a South Korean suspect is enough for your friends to boycott an entire country, I'm not sure there's much point in addressing them, because that's just plain illogical.

As to the other stuff, I tried to find reports of this and couldn't; it seems anecdotal and hyperbolic, and again is a pretty poor foundation to found an opinion. As I found in my quick search, terrible things happen to people all over the place: Tourist Rape News: Find Latest News on Tourist Rape - NDTV.COM ... No offense to your friends, but they are not credible sources for anything other than their own opinions. I believe that they feel that way and believe all these things to be true, but the truth is always more nuanced than people try to make it seem.

Regarding Busan, I just enjoyed the vibe there, and my friends in the south always seemed a lot less stressed than those in Seoul. Mega cities aren't really my thing... Busan still a bigger city, but it's a more relaxed beach town, with better weather overall. It's like San Diego versus Los Angeles.

I indeed missed your NPD diagnosis, that does explain a lot. I'm glad you had permission from your gf to post her photo, but sometimes I'm amazed by how trusting people can be on the internet. This forum is public and open to anyone to see, just because the members here are honest and helpful doesn't mean everyone is. If you're worried about your girlfriend being assaulted in Korea for being Japanese (which, realistically, is pretty unlikely), then it seems like there's a huge disconnect when you post her photo in a public space like this. If you wish to have it removed, you can try messaging one of the mods like @thomas or @Uncle Frank, I believe they can edit posts if needed.

Privilege isn't something to be ashamed of, but it's something to be aware of. Awareness helps give humility, something you might benefit from if you are working on your narcissistic personality disorder. I share a utopian view of the world, but in an overpopulated planet with limited resources, open borders would be a nightmare. For now, the circumstances of our birth and upbringing (and our subsequent actions and the actions of others) will dictate just how freely we can move around. Your former friend wasn't rewarded for his wrongdoing; if he were caught he would definitely be looking at a much harsher consequences than you faced, and he would probably find a way to spin it so that he could convince himself that he's the victim. Remember that everyone is their own protagonist: nobody believes they're the bad guy.

Best of luck in Taiwan, do let us know how things go for you in the future

 

[johnnyG]

Both Taiwan and Korea require criminal background checks.

Since OP says he was in Japan for 11 years, I hope those countries do ask for one from here.

Of course OP could skate back and forth between korea/taiwan/thailand on tourist visas while working online for some biz outside of those countries. Not the most legal thing to be doing. But given all of his behavior and comments, above, that's probably to be expected.

I wonder how much of that overseas income the illustrious OP actually declared on his regular tax filings here in Japan? (as legally required)

 

[WonkoTheSane]

Both Taiwan and Korea require criminal background checks.

Since OP says he was in Japan for 11 years, I hope those countries do ask for one from here.

Of course OP could skate back and forth between korea/taiwan/thailand on tourist visas while working online for some biz outside of those countries. Not the most legal thing to be doing. But given all of his behavior and comments, above, that's probably to be expected.

I wonder how much of that overseas income the illustrious OP actually declared on his regular tax filings here in Japan? (as legally required)

Having just paid my corporate taxes it galls me to no end to support deadbeats who think they're robbing the government instead of me and every other responsible resident of this country when they cheat on their taxes.

 

[Hope&Faith]

Having just paid my corporate taxes it galls me to no end to support deadbeats who think they're robbing the government instead of me and every other responsible resident of this country when they cheat on their taxes.

Don't know why, suddenly, you started talking about taxes....
What's going on????
Did you post in the wrong tread? Or are you replying to someone that is on my ignore list and that I can't see?
If it's the second option... LOL... I don't understand why I have to explain all my private stuff in this forum. Funny, really...
WHATEVER! To make you all happy, I'll answer briefly:
I always paid taxes. That's completely normal. I even get compensation back sometimes, coz I have had paid even more than needed. LOL.

I have 2 businesses. One local and one back in my Country:

1- Local one (music industry): I'm under ED non-immigrant visa. But in Thailand (and Thailand is not Japan. Everything is much simplyer to obtain.), that's enough to grant you a a working permit from your employer.
All About Work Permits | ThaiEmbassy.com

2- In my Country (real estates): actually it's my father's family-run company and HE is paying taxes. I don't get any single penny from him. I'm just helping him out because he is completely analog and finding him customers online, calculating the monthly balance of incomes/outcomes and so on, it helps him greatly.
I called it my business, because one day, indeed, it will become mine. But not yet. Just a help for the sake of my family. I think it's a son's duty to help his own family...

OK? Satisfied now?
Unbelievable...