I had an interesting experience tonight. I had dinner followed by karaoke with three friends. We all left together. As we were paying up we noticed that there were a half dozen police officers checking on a very inebriated patron near the register. That seemed more or less normal so we left and were about to part ways, but the we noticed outside on the street…
One of the drunkest people I’ve ever seen. This was a woman in her late teens or early twenties, surrounded by three male friends of similar age. She appeared to be in a coma. All four of us (two men and two women) stopped and were worried. I don’t usually get concerned by drunks, but this person was passed out and seemed to be suffering from alcohol poisoning (I was in a fraternity in college, so I know the difference between drunk and DRUNK).
We all stopped and watched for a few minutes. Then I offered to call a police officer from the place we had just left and everyone agreed that it was a good idea.
It wasn’t. A couple of officers came and were seemingly willing to let her drunk friends carry her home on their backs…until they fell over. Even then, then police had no sense of urgency. Despite her obvious intoxication (and I want to stress that she was far beyond what you normally see, completely unable to speak or move), the police were going to let her leave with her friends (them literally dragging her), until I started filming them. I just asked, “Do you really think this person is okay?” repeatedly in Japanese. I was careful to film the police rather than the passed out drunk woman.
Despite that, then the officers got moving. They told me I couldn’t film. I told them that they were mistaken. My understanding is that as long as I’m in public and I’m not using the recording for financial gain, I’m good. I wasn’t detained or arrested, so I have no damages, but I’m annoyed that either 1) I don’t understand japanese laws regarding privacy and public places or 2) the police either don’t understand the law or are comfortable lying about it to citizens and legal residents.
In the end, I wish I had just called 119 instead of getting the cops involved. I can think of few situations improved by the addition of police.
Remember to dial 110 if you need to get somebody to fill out a report for insurance. 119 if you have an emergency. You can decide doe yourself which one is more useful.
6 comments
Police in Japan are almost useless. Nothing but overgrown babysitters.
Once saw this one guy on the floor. I have no idea what happened to him but he was face down on the concrete, not moving, eyes closed, couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.
Then 2 police officers standing over him just asking “大丈夫ですか？” before walking away.
Apologetically: You’re coming at it from the wrong end. You have decided, very considerately, that this woman needs help. As far as you know, she’s supremely drunk and with her friends. You’re pushing the cops for nothing. No law is being broken. As far as they know, the men aren’t doing anything illegal. The woman is not doing anything illegal. You could potentially get in trouble for defamation, particularly when the cops are not doing anything wrong.
You don’t seem to know why the cops were there watching the inebriated man at the register.
There is a law covering people who get drunk and cause trouble. 酒に酔つて公衆に迷惑をかける行為の防止等に関する法律 (Sake ni yotte koshu ni meiwaku o kakeru koui no boushitou ni kansuru houritsu, Act on Prevention of Drunkenness and Public Nuisance). They might have been called there because he was making trouble.
Yeah I went into a club in Shinjuku tonight and there was a cop car and officers outside. When I left, they were still there and there was a dude passed out with some throw up on his lip. His friends finally starting trying to drag him and get him to wake up and he just started vomiting everywhere. Police just standing around.
I am shocked that the police lied.
I agree with your general sentiment, there are some weird vibes around alcohol here, a general acceptance that it’s a huge part of the “culture” and it’s an elephant in the room. “The young woman just drank too much, shouganai. It’s just how the system is, and this is her individual responsibility, after all.”
I’ve never seen all-you-can-drink being so common in any other country. where simultaneously mental health has a massive stigma. Then you have brutal working hours, combined with loneliness and dead or semi-dead marriages. Constant pressure to attend company nomikais, salarymen being routinely passed out on the street just being accepted as normal.
All a coincidence, I’m sure.
Welcome to Tokyo. They will always tell you not to film. Doesn’t mean you need comply.
New to Japan? IMO, you shouldn’t have done anything and filming the cops that way might get you in trouble if they really want that.