Could a foreigner join the police in Japan?

Theoretically it's possible. If they have attained Japanese citizenship and speak, read and write Japanese to a native level then they would be fully entitled to take the exam and apply.

However, in reality would a foreigner ever be selected? Hell, has there ever even been a foreign police officer in Japan?

I personally would think not. Institutionalised racism is rife in Japan, and I would say the police is probably the most racist of the lot.

However, I'm no great expert on Japan. If a foreigner had reached the minimum level of qualifcation to apply and had a reasonably strong application, would they be in with a chance, or would it be virtually impossible?

Also, I suspect they would be concerned that a visibly foreign police officer wouldn't have the same level of authority. A foreign police officer would be such an unusual sight that a lot of people might think its some sort of joke.

What's your thoughts on this?

Do a search; I already covered this topic in detail.

In short, due to the nature of immigration requirements and the age limits for becoming a policeman in Japan the person is already out of the running before there is ever a chance for racism to have anything at all to do with it. It is an entirely moot factor.

Try to refrain from blanket assertions of racism regarding Japan. If you would care to tell us about your own personal direct first-person experiences of racism in Japan I'm sure we would all like to hear about them.

I personally would think not. Institutionalised racism is rife in Japan, and I would say the police is probably the most racist of the lot.

Click to expand...

Becoming a cop and institutionalized racism are like comparing apples and atom bombs, neither are alike in any way shape or form.

I did the search for you (Couldn't do it earlier as I was on my iphone).

KirinMan said:

Becoming a cop and institutionalized racism are like comparing apples and atom bombs, neither are alike in any way shape or form.

Click to expand...

How are they not related? Japan is not like the USA, UK or Australia in regards to equal opportunities. Native Japanese people are prefered for most jobs (with the exception of English teaching and a few roles which deal with a lot of English speaking foreigners), and there are no racial quotas to fill. Whether rightly or wrongly, in Japan if you're non-Japanese you're at the back of the line, regardless of your citizenship status. You're just a foreigner to them.

Also, I think this is even more related to the police than other jobs in Japan because I'm afraid compared to many Western police the Japanese police are quite racist. Many go out of their way to stop and check foreign looking peoples papers without reason, a practice which if American police did would be considered almost fascist.

In short, I can't imagine the Japanese police are any equal opportunities employer when it comes to employing a non-Japanese person.

Infection_ said:

How are they not related? Japan is not like the USA, UK or Australia in regards to equal opportunities. Native Japanese people are prefered for most jobs (with the exception of English teaching and a few roles which deal with a lot of English speaking foreigners), and there are no racial quotas to fill. Whether rightly or wrongly, in Japan if you're non-Japanese you're at the back of the line, regardless of your citizenship status. You're just a foreigner to them.

Click to expand...

The place happens to be around 99 percent Japanese. Foreigners tend to cluster together and as a result have a warped view of what proportion of the population they make up.

With extraordinarily few exceptions, foreigners don't even try to get jobs that have nothing to do with some aspect of their foreign origins. And in the case of Western foreigners, it would be just short of a miracle to find one who would tolerate working in a Japanese work environment under the same conditions as Japanese employees anyway, so as a practical matter close to 100 percent of the hiring discrimination is self-inflicted. They also hobble themselves by failing to develop the necessary language skills, or even if they do learn to speak sufficiently, they usually neglect to develop any literacy, again resulting in self-inflicted discrimination.....although it is hardly fair to call it discrimination since it rarely if ever comes up that prospective Japanese employers have the opportunity to engage in it to begin with.

But please do tell us your firsthand experiences facing hiring discrimination in the Japanese workplace. We would all love to hear about them.

Also, I think this is even more related to the police than other jobs in Japan because I'm afraid compared to many Western police the Japanese police are quite racist.

Click to expand...

Been reading Debito a lot, I see. Rather than just slandering them in a general sort of way, please tell us of the specific examples where you suffered at the hands of racist Japanese policemen.

Many go out of their way to stop and check foreign looking peoples papers without reason

Click to expand...

More specious BS lifted from Debito, no doubt. Please tell us about all the times you had your "papers" checked without reason.

In short, I can't imagine the Japanese police are any equal opportunities employer when it comes to employing a non-Japanese person.

Click to expand...

I'm so glad I went to the trouble of hunting up a link to provide you with facts......I only wish you had bothered to read them, but since you are so eager to embrace stereotypes it would hardly have mattered, I suppose.

Infection_ said:

How are they not related? Japan is not like the USA, UK or Australia in regards to equal opportunities. Native Japanese people are prefered for most jobs (with the exception of English teaching and a few roles which deal with a lot of English speaking foreigners), and there are no racial quotas to fill. Whether rightly or wrongly, in Japan if you're non-Japanese you're at the back of the line, regardless of your citizenship status. You're just a foreigner to them.
Also, I think this is even more related to the police than other jobs in Japan because I'm afraid compared to many Western police the Japanese police are quite racist. Many go out of their way to stop and check foreign looking peoples papers without reason, a practice which if American police did would be considered almost fascist.
In short, I can't imagine the Japanese police are any equal opportunities employer when it comes to employing a non-Japanese person.

Click to expand...

Besides what Mike wrote, to which I 100 percent agree, I would just like to ask you why are you so interested in the police here? What's the fascination?

Oh and in all my 25 years plus of living here I have yet to be stopped by any police because of my "foreign looks" and believe me there is no one that is going to mistake me for an ethic Japanese person. Yeah I've been stopped, driving that is, not because I am foreign, because I was speeding and the cop took one look at me and was a bit put off, as in agitated at first, that I was a foreigner BECAUSE he automatically felt he had to speak English with me. He let out an audible sigh when I responded to him using Japanese, and he commented that he was pleased that I could speak Japanese to make his job easier. The guy was extremely polite, even though I still got the ticket, which I deserved I must say.

Mike Cash said:

The place happens to be around 99% Japanese. Foreigners tend to cluster together and as a result have a warped view of what proportion of the population they make up.

Click to expand...

Yes, but the reason Japan is 99% Japanese is because the Japanese government barely lets any immigrants in, and in most cases makes it so difficult to extend a visa beyond 5 years that most foreigners don't even get enough time to learn the language to a native proficiency.

You talk as if it is by mere chance that Japan is still 99% Japanese, when the reality is the Japanese government has purposely kept immigration to an absolute minimum and made it virtually impossible for foreigners to obtain permentant residence.

If Japan had a more liberal immigration policy then I have no doubt that many foreigners would make an effort to integrate into Japanese society and learn Japanese to a higher level of proficiency, but the Japanese government does not give the majority of people this chance, which you could argue is rather foolish considering Japan's current issues with population decline.

The fact remains the only immigrants Japan wants is Western English speakers with university degrees. Equally, the only jobs available to foreigners is English teaching. Foreigners with skills in any other industry need not apply as far as the Japanese government is concerned.

How did you get from New Jersey to the United Kingdom so quickly?

You talk as though you know what you're talking about, when in fact you're going off of your own biases, misconceptions, second and third hand pseudo-information picked up off the web, and topping it off with a healthy dose of your own sour grapes at finding yourself not elibible to come here five years ago when you first showed up on JREF.

Japan's immigration policy is Japan's business. It is not a country that has traditionally been made up of immigrants. If they don't want to let in every Tom, Dick, and Harry that is their perfect right.

You are mistaken in your notion that Japan only wants Westerners who speak English as immigrants. Japan admits practically no one as an immigrant. Everyone who comes here does so under temporary conditions. Whether they then become immigrants is a matter that is for some years in the future. Koreans, Chinese, and Brazilians constitute about 70 percent of Japan's foreign population....hardly a bunch of Western English speakers.

The notion that the only jobs available to foreigners is English teaching is asinine and grossly misinformed.

Yes, but the reason Japan is 99% Japanese is because the Japanese government barely lets any immigrants in, and in most cases makes it so difficult to extend a visa beyond 5 years that most foreigners don't even get enough time to learn the language to a native proficiency.

Click to expand...

This is way off the mark with regards to getting a visa extension beyond 5 years. I can not count how many people I know here who are foreigners, single, and have been here a heck of a lot longer than 5 years. Most as well self sponsor their visa. I would also comment that if someone actually works at it, it is VERY possible to get proficient enough in the language as well. 5 years is a long time and plenty do it. It's the one's that don't work at it and expect to learn by osmosis that end up complaining about things here, similar to what you are doing here now. Just stating an observation.

You talk as if it is by mere chance that Japan is still 99% Japanese, when the reality is the Japanese government has purposely kept immigration to an absolute minimum and made it virtually impossible for foreigners to obtain permentant residence.

Click to expand...

Just who are you thinking about as foreigners? There are AT LEAST a couple MILLION permanent (foreign) residents living here in Japan. I get it, you are only considering those from what is commonly referred to as the "west" right?

The fact remains the only immigrants Japan wants is Western English speakers with university degrees. Equally, the only jobs available to foreigners is English teaching. Foreigners with skills in any other industry need not apply as far as the Japanese government is concerned.

Click to expand...

My I start laughing now? ROFLMAO x 2

Foreigners do far more to ghettoize themselves in Japan than has ever been done to them by the Japanese. The number of people who make any meaningful attempt at assimilation is pathetically small....then they sit around and gripe about how Japan isn't an open country and how the Japanese aren't accepting of them, when the truth of the matter in almost all cases is that they really would have no way of knowing because they have never tried assimilating.

Hey, who is going to throw in the towel for this guy? I don't see a Mickey in his corner.

I just don't want to see him come back here and start to complain that because the advice and information he got here wasn't in agreement with what he was thinking and starts complaining about the forum as a whole like a recent poster did.

I don't see anything wrong with trying to give good advice and information about how things are here, I just don't understand why posters like this refuse to accept it as more than likely being the way it is and are looking for an explanation or justification to support their ideas.

Presenting a thread as a question and then proceeding to use the actual post as a soapbox for expounding opinions based on misinformation and no direct personal knowledge whatsoever while steadfastly ignoring the answers based on fact and the firsthand experience of people with decades living here has me scratching my head. It is posting under a false premise: pretending to seek information while actually just wanting to spout his own personal biases. A review of his posts from 2006 reveals a similar tendency and also makes it clear that his motivation is based in no small part on not being eligible to come here to live and work. If he really wanted so badly to come here and work then he certainly could have made himself eligible if he had spent the last five years actually working toward that goal. It is apparently far easier to just hold a grudge and come here to spit out a mouthful of sour grapes.