Because it has been a bit of an issue recently, I figured I would drop a semi-friendly reminder to all of our users regarding talking about illegal activity here in r/movingtojapan:
We do not suggest, condone, or discuss activities which violate Japanese law here. ***Period***
So things are abundantly clear, let’s break this down using the most common example we get here, which is working on a tourist visa.
Suggest: “Just come over on a tourist visa and work!”
Condone: “Yes, working on a tourist visa is illegal, but they’ll never catch you, so it’s ok!”
Discuss: “Well, I know a lot of people do this. I can’t recommend it, but if you’re careful….”
Basically if the topic at hand involves breaking the law, the *only* acceptable response is “that’s illegal, don’t do that”. Feel free to cite sources and/or explain why.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of things that fall under the “illegal activity” banner:
* Working on a tourist visa. (As far as the mods are concerned this is a settled issue. We don’t care about what they’re saying over at r/digitalnomads or anywhere else. Japanese immigration and tax law is abundantly clear on the subject)
* Working more than 28 hours on a student visa.
* Anything involving lying to immigration, either in person or on application forms.
* Anything involving trying to “game the system” in regards to immigration, particularly methods to “get around” the financial requirements for certain visa types.
* Anything involving drugs that are illegal in Japan. Which is most of them.
* Anything related to “acquiring” medications that are banned in Japan.
* Illegal parking. (No, it’s not common, but the fact that it has been an issue *at all* is mind boggling)
Again: Not an exclusive list. If it involves breaking the law, it’s not allowed.
We enforce this prohibition very heavily. While we don’t necessarily penalize OPs for not being familiar with all the laws, we *absolutely* expect commenters to be aware of the laws regarding their suggestions. See Rule 6: Don’t know? Don’t post!