Police arrest foreign-looking Japanese

[thomas]

That story is all over the news at the moment. And all over the internet fora...

Police erroneously arrest 'Asian-looking' Japanese woman on immigration law breach

The Saitama prefectural police on Monday arrested a Japanese woman on suspicion of violating the immigration law but later released her after discovering that she was a Japanese national, police officials said.

The police had judged that the unemployed woman, 28, was not Japanese because she looked like a foreigner of Asian descent and that she carried an envelope written in Portuguese, the officials said. The woman was questioned by a policeman around 7:40 p.m. on Saturday in Kawaguchi. She told the officer that she was Japanese, but stopped answering further questions, the officials said. The woman's family said she is not good at speaking with strangers.

=> http://www.crisscross.com/jp/news/365504/all

Cops let woman go after finding she's Japanese

Police arrested a woman on suspicion of violating the immigration law but later released her after discovering she is a Japanese national, police officials said Monday.

Police concluded the 28-year-old unemployed woman was not Japanese because she looked like a foreigner of Asian descent and was carrying an envelope with Portuguese writing on it, the officials said.

The woman was questioned by an officer at around 7:40 p.m. Saturday in Kawaguchi. She told the officer she was Japanese but refused to answer further questions, the officials said.

The woman's family said she is not good at speaking with strangers.

Failing to confirm the woman's identity, police obtained a warrant and arrested her at around 5 a.m. Sunday.

When the woman's 58-year-old mother was shown a photo of her daughter, she told police she "did not know" her. The woman was released at 7:20 p.m. Sunday after the mother finally said it was her daughter.

"We have caused a lot of trouble. From now on, we will do our best not to let this happen again by issuing thorough instructions," said Satoshi Kanagawa, chief of the Kawaguchi Police Station.

The Saitama force has been involved in a series of erroneous arrests in recent years, including in May, when they arrested a man based on a malicious claim he had stolen a wallet.

=> http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060301a7.html

Police left red-faced after arresting Japanese woman they thought was a foreigner

=> http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20060228p2a00m0na001000c.html

To serve and to protect...

 

[RockLee]

How stupid can you get ! Arrest somebody because he looks like a foreigner, that's plain racism if you ask me!

 

[lastmagi]

Ditto RockLee.

I've the impression that the Japanese police are incompetent goons, so if the media can expose their blundering, so much the better.

 

[Ma Cherie]

I don't know weather to laugh at this or feel somewhat disgusted. I'm lost here. ☝

 

[Gaijinian]

窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人ﾋ彑

I don't know weather to laugh at this or feel somewhat disgusted. I'm lost here. ☝

I do; I'm disgusted.
This confirms all my fears about Japanese society...

 

[bossel]

Hey, "she carried an envelope written in Portuguese". That's highly suspicious if you ask me.

 

[epigene]

I personally have very little respect for the Japanese police today (having my husband stopped for ID so often when he goes out on his bicycle ride--mentioned in my post very long ago), but this is a case I think that could have happened in other countries, too.

From what I heard on the radio today, she quickly looked away when the police officer came walking past her on his beat. When he called to her, she tried to get away. When she was asked to come to the police station and asked questions, she did not utter a word for nearly "24 HOURS"!! And, the letter in Portuguese (which the officers couldn't read...) Given the cases of police officers being shot at when they call on suspicious-looking persons walking in the streets, I think that was inevitable to happen, although I do have great sympathy for the woman and her family...☝

 

[SortOf]

Not really any different here, police always pull over Mexicans or Mexican looking people just cuz.

 

[Mars Man]

OH boy...oh girl....I'm afraid it's just one of those 'catch 22'-like things. It's not good, but then it could have been worse. Of course, I do know that we never get all the details in the quick media coverage, and that there may be some things that look a certain way until we do have more information, and for that reason, try my best not to conclude a matter until more comes in on it.

Putting ourselves in the shoes of the officer on the beat, anyone who attempts to avoid your presence, regardless of looks, is naturally gonna perk up suspicion--be it NYC, Bagdhad, Paris or Tokyo.

I have mixed feelings about the police here, and one thing is maybe I have had, at the most, two bad (in my opinion) episodes out the several run-ins I have had in the past. I did make friends with some. In the country-side, that probably wouldn't have happened; everyone kind of knows everybody anyway. . .although that brings up a totally different set of problems...hee,hee...

I'm mixed on this one...I go with epigene san in some ways, and with RockLee and lastmagi in some ways.

 

[mad pierrot]

Yeah it sucks but....

Nothing unique to Japan.


I won't even begin to comment on my black friends in Chicago and the beef they have w/cops and racial profiling there. It could be worse. I mean, hey, they didn't beat her up or anything, did they?




heh... That doesn't say much for the United States.

 

[Kinsao]

I wonder why her mom said at first that she did not know her? ☝

 

[pipokun]

I've got an experience, twice police checks a day, in an European county.
What can I expect after surprise police check without good reason in other countries?
Tons of money? If so, I quit job and become a human right advocate to travel around countries.
Well, they actually seemed to have good reason for the check, for I had my hair shaved with very shabby clothes on then...

Travel tip
Don't carry screwdrivers while you travel around Tokyo.

 

[Davey]

They are afraid of religion again?

 

[MajideSaiaku]

Ive never been so much as second glanced by the japanese police, and it pissed me off because everytime i saw a police car or officer, my heart raced and i expected any minute to have my day ruined, and embarrass my girlfriend and her family for having to bail me out all because i was arrested for being a foreigner.

But my fears were unwarranted.

I guess its to my favour i can blend in with the japanese easier then a taller, lighter haired gaijin.

 

[Pachipro]

This just goes to prove that EVEN THE JAPANESE cannot tell if one is Japanese or not! I guess in the future everyone will have to carry some kind of national ID on them in Japan just to prove they are Japanese as will soon happen here in the states with the New Patriot Act.

I think the woman and her family must have some kind of mental illness or something. Her mother for not acknowledging that the girl was her daughter, and the daughter for not having said a word to the police for 24 hrs! Weird.

Personally, I have mixed feelings on this as even a Japanese national cannot be beyond suspicion anymore nevermind foreigners, from the local police.

 

[misa.j]

It seems like the police is much more skeptical towards people in the big cities regardless which country that is.

 

[Gaijinian]

Not really any different here, police always pull over Mexicans or Mexican looking people just cuz.

Where in Texas do you live?

 

[Yokan]

How stupid can you get ! Arrest somebody because he looks like a foreigner, that's plain racism if you ask me!

Have to say i agree totally among this point. Nothing else said.

 

[Glenn]

I personally have very little respect for the Japanese police today (having my husband stopped for ID so often when he goes out on his bicycle ride--mentioned in my post very long ago), but this is a case I think that could have happened in other countries, too.

This reminds me of two things:
1) the guy in Vermont who the police wouldn't higher because he was too smart, and
2) this article (which also led me to this one, which is pretty good too). DISCLAIMER: These articles contain foul language and may be offensive to some readers.

 

[Elizabeth]

I personally have very little respect for the Japanese police today (having my husband stopped for ID so often when he goes out on his bicycle ride--mentioned in my post very long ago), but this is a case I think that could have happened in other countries, too.

I've rarely witnessed violence in Japan that didn't involve the police -- either shoving around people that look mentally disturbed or roughing up suspects on the street etc. On the other hand, it is definately a case that could have happened anywhere. . I just wish it had gotten more media attention.

 

[pipokun]

I've rarely witnessed violence in Japan that didn't involve the police -- either shoving around people that look mentally disturbed or roughing up suspects on the street etc. On the other hand, it is definately a case that could have happened anywhere. . I just wish it had gotten more media attention.

What for?
To make people realise "Voila, this is my ID" saves your precious 24 hour? Usually I do it, though I really want to say "Why should I show my driver's lisence for my bike? Do I need my car lisence to ride my bike?". But the argument like that is just a waste of 1 min or a bit more.

Other local police head deeply apologized a serious misconduct of a stupid police officer getting self-injured after toying his gun.

What a racist country!

 

[Elizabeth]

What for?
To make people realise "Voila, this is my ID" saves your precious 24 hour? Usually I do it, though I really want to say "Why should I show my driver's lisence for my bike? Do I need my car lisence to ride my bike?". But the argument like that is just a waste of 1 min or a bit more.
Other local police head deeply apologized a serious misconduct of a stupid police officer getting self-injured after toying his gun.
What a racist country!

The racist aspect of this case may not be clear enough to make anyone sit up and notice and stop covering up their own behavior but any spotlight on the maltreatment of foreigners has to be a good thing. Besides raising the issue of hypervigilant police reacting against their own citizens, or at least people they think look like them...

 

[MajideSaiaku]

I agree with elizebeth, so much news about evil foreigners, any good news for us only improves our standing in japan.

 

[pipokun]

The racist aspect of this case may not be clear enough to make anyone sit up and notice and stop covering up their own behavior but any spotlight on the maltreatment of foreigners has to be a good thing. Besides raising the issue of hypervigilant police reacting against their own citizens, or at least people they think look like them...

No need a loud amplifier here.
She mysteriously kept quiet. Nobody knows all police officers here, but it is weird to take a police officer as a stranger.
The police wrongly arrested a woman.

Tell me more about the hypervigilant police reaction.

 

[gaijinalways]

Odd story, though on the face of it, there seems to be little reason to bring her down to the station. But of course, her behaviour (not speaking for 24 hours, not telling the police her name and where she lived sooner) should have perhaps led the police to realize she was a bit 'not all there'.