Throwaway because this is all a bit mad and I am active on here.
Long story short, I was walking in Osaka. (Not looking at my phone, paying attention to where I was going.) Out of nowhere; a salaryman on a chari, with one hand on an umbrella comes blazing down the sidewalk. Down the slope from a bridge. He swerves to avoid me and another pedestrian and comes off the bike connecting head first with a bollard. (Of course not wearing a helmet.)
Now, this all conveniently happened right outside a police box, ambulance comes, police take a statement from me and the other pedestrian. Police review a camera, “自業自得”, his own fault for being a mamachari asshole. I go home.
4 days later, I had the man’s wife and someone claiming to be their attorney (he looked like a sketchy nightclub doorman to be honest) at my door. No ID provided or anything. Somehow, they got my address, did the police give it out? The wife starts wailing that her husband can’t speak anymore and the attorney/thug looking guy says that if I don’t make this right, they will tell some shitty 週刊誌 that I knocked this father of 3 off his bike and permanently disabled him.
I smell a rat and tell them to leave before I call the police and slam the door. They stand around for 5 minutes then eventually wander off. I have reconfirmed with the police that I am in no way responsible for the accident and reported the intended intimidation.
Now, the thing is, I saw this guys head split open and then go limp. I don’t think the wife and bouncer are bullshitting about brain injuries etc. I have also spoken to a lawyer and made sure they have no legal recourse against me (they don’t).
My big questions are:
* Why the fuck would the police give them my information?
* How seriously should I take the getting published in a tabloid threat? I know they are fucky, but they won’t just publish that shit will they?
* If they do start some kind of hate campaign in the tabloids or online, what recourse do I have? A defamation lawsuit? (JapanLife’s favorite!)
Edit: English is my second language so apologies if the above reads weird.
33 comments
Just say no/don’t care.
I might try to get the police to give you a full report and any photos they took of the camera evidence just in case, meanwhile mentioning that they are harassing you therefore justifying the need for evidence.
1. Police in Japan sometimes accommodate locals with unreasonable requests against foreigners. Very likely that the said “attorney” just lied to get your address. However, police are also very cautious to avoid arresting anybody without enough evidence and here you really did not do anything, so they cannot arrest you even if they really wanted. Walking down the street is not a crime no matter what the attorney says.
2. They will come back, possibly even with police or someone pretending to be police. You don’t have to answer or open the door for them. Just ignore or call proper police if they are trying to break in. Report the actual break in, not the story you told above.
3. Tabloids are not particularly interested in the cases where Japanese are portrayed worse than foreigners. Besides, if they try to publish anything showing you in bad light and the information would be identifiable you can sue them and win. Forget about it, they are bullying you.
Generally, they seem to be scamming you into getting involved in this case. You are merely a spectator and you do not have any more obligations and rights than that. Do not give in and agree with anything. And yes, condolences to the injured man. As stupid as he acted, he seems to be in a bad shape.
This is roughly how it works here in terms of liability:
Car -> Bike -> Bicycle -> Pedestrians.
You are not liable in this case, at all.
Just tell them to fuck off? Let them start a hate campaign and you can do a counter campaign warning people of the dangers of riding a bicycle like an idiot.
[removed]
I had a mamachari lady run full speed into me at an intersection while I was stationary on my motorbike and in a legal position – she literally did not look ahead before crossing. She pretended to be super hurt etc and started screaming for help and how a gaijin somehow ran into her (sideways) on a motorbike… until I pointed at the GoPro on my helmet and told her I recorded everything. Her broken leg and invisible bleeding suddenly healed and she sped off.
Get any possible security footage you can.
I call the 週刊誌 absolute BS. Even a sports star or a politician can’t be scratched by a tabloid, so why would you get destroyed by one. The threat is stupid, plus you don’t know if they are real if they don’t show ID. If the woman is the real deal she can potentially be scammed herself. She apparently believes that this outrageous narrative can get you handling cash to her. Be vigilant they don’t continue to harass you.
Tell them to go away. If they continue tell them you will lodge a defemation case. They will quickly leave you alone.
Throwaway Chari Hater 😄
Police in Japan can be really stupid. They probably gave it to them. Why? Who the fuck knows.
The cops said you were in the clear. Those people can’t do shit. Don’t answer your door. If they keep coming back, go to the police and tell them you’re being harassed.
As a pedestrian? Laugh in their faces.
This is also a time for you to consider filing a complaint against the police for distributing your private information without your consent. This shit should not have gotten to this point if the police had actually followed policy (law?) and not given your details out. There should be an ombudsman to report this to.
Yeah police will give out your info because they just don’t care and also they are just dumb. I’ve had it happen twice. They will also sometimes helpfully point out where the local gaijin lives to any random weirdo who asks. Had that happen to me, too. A guy I’d never seen before showed up at my door and said he knew me from the bus. Turns out he watched where I got off and then went to the local koban to ask where all the foreigners in the neighborhood lived.
Just don’t entertain these people at all. They will go away if you just never answer the door and call the police every time they show up. The wife just wants someone to pay, probably her husband didn’t have bicycle insurance so she’s on the hook. Chances are she’s trying to milk the other witness as well. Tabloids aren’t going to publish this. She might post shit online but nobody’s going to do anything. I know a guy who pissed off some 2ch board and had his info posted online, and the worst that happened was someone ordered a stack of pizzas to his house. Just call the police every time you hear a peep from them. They know they have nothing and that’s why they are resorting to ridiculous threats.
Excellent throwaway name. I fucking hate those bicycles. And yes, I know they are great for casual cycling, but they are just needlessly heavy.
Stand tall, this all sounds like bull and you should be able to ride it out without a scratch.
>umbrella in hand.
>no helmet
Yep, he’s pretty boned.
Have a nice beer or strong 0 after this one knowing you’re not liable. Feels bad the man is hurt but it can’t be helped that he was so reckless.
I don’t have anything to say about your question. I just wanted to say that your English is fucking great.
Regarding your compromised address, go to the police. ask the police how they got your address and if they gave it to them. If they did, then consider legal action against the police because you’re at zero fault here, so there is no reason for the police to compromise such information merely just due to a locals request. Also ask the police if the other pedestrian’s (I assume a Japanese national?) address got compromised too. That way you will know if only your address was compromised due to you being a foreigner.
As for the wife and thug at your door. You’re at zero fault in this. This sounds like extortion, which is a criminal office in Japan as per Article 249 of the ‘Penal code’
File this encounter/attempt of extortion at the police station (not koban) to get a police report on file, and consider legal action there too. And Get some security cameras at your property, that way you have video evidence of them coming to your address, and trying to extort you. Likely because being a foreigner, makes you an easy target for tabloid media.
1. Anyone can sue anyone for anything at any time.
2. If they do sue they’ll lose.
3. How a lawsuit works is a lawyer would contact you demanding payment. This would normally be a certified letter followed by a telephone call.
4. How a shakedown happens is exactly as you described.
You should have called the police the minute you closed the door. Expect them to be back since you didn’t. When they come back do not give any indication you are home (especially do not open the door) and call the police.
If husbando was commuting his companies workman’s comp will cover the injury. If not NHI will. And it is far far to early to be assigning permanent injury which is pretty much the only thing you get a payout for here.
Counter sue them for the emotional distress of having to see the husband almost die right in front of you!
It’s a shame that happened to you OP, too many times I have seen someone riding a Chari without looking where they are going and at speed.
I really don’t want to strap on a Go-pro or cycle camera every time I leave the house, but it seems like these type of accidents are happening more often.
1. I’ve been yelled at and downvoted for saying this on this sub before, but don’t assume that the police won’t help the “victims” try to scam/blackmail you for money. It’s happened to me, and the police will just feign ignorance. Don’t trust them.
>Why the fuck would the police give them my information?
They’re not supposed to, but given the right threats, demands and situations, an officer might give that information away. On the flip since, they might have gotten a Private investigator to keep tabs on you.
>How seriously should I take the getting published in a tabloid threat? I know they are fucky, but they won’t just publish that shit will they?
Don’t take it seriously at all.
I hope you got video evidence of them making bold claims. Or the next time you do, take a video. Then lawyer up and claim defamation, as the video shows that it’s his fault. Even if you didn’t have video evidence, since you were a pedestrian, you would still win.
>If they do start some kind of hate campaign in the tabloids or online, what recourse do I have? A defamation lawsuit? (JapanLife’s favorite!)
Yes, defamation lawsuit.
I wouldn’t be too worried. I don’t think a tabloid would be interested in a story that’s not going to make them any money. If the police have already said it’s not your fault then it’s really not much of a story.
You cannot be held liable for this, so it is best to just ignore it all. Generally, a walking pedestrian receives more protection than a cyclist, who in turn gets more than the driver of a car.
And don’t antagonize the police any further. They’re fucking useless and will just find some way to trap you in an endless, ongoing case.
Sorry for your troubles. As others have pointed out, this is purely an extortion attempt.
Given what you described, along with the police reviewing video footage, you have *zero* liability. Bicycle/pedestrian accident on a sidewalk – had he hit you, would have had 100% liability even without the exacerbating factor of illegally riding with an umbrella held in his hand. *Even if it had been at an intersection*, the bicycle would be initially assessed with 85%, and the umbrella would have increased the liability by 15% – again, 100% liability for the cyclist.
On top of that, disability is not determined in such a short time frame – if we assume that what they said is true, the guy is suffering from concussion induced aphasia, and normal speech *can* return after a few days or weeks. Sure, it *can* be permanent, but that’s not determined in the first few days.
Also – don’t be so sure there are any kids to feel sorry for. They’re already lying about the liability, so anything they claim is suspect.
> Why the fuck would the police give them my information?
They likely lied to obtain the information, such as, “We need to talk to the witnesses because we intend to sue the city regarding the placement of the bollard.” There are plenty of legitimate reasons for the family of an injured cyclist to want to talk to the witnesses of an accident.
Another point to consider – that may not have been the wife. Some third party hearing about the incident may have gotten your information by posing as a reporter doing a write up on the accident, and be out trying to shake down the witnesses. It would be an easy sell too – traffic safety week, and they claim to be writing a piece on why people should be wearing helmets.
> How seriously should I take the getting published in a tabloid threat? I know they are fucky, but they won’t just publish that shit will they?
If the tabloid sees the police report, it’s very unlikely that they’ll bother with it. It would be a slam-dunk defamation case, and it’s not a story that’s going to sell a lot of issues. Not a lot of profit, versus a virtually guaranteed loss in court. And honestly, they know this – they’re just trying to scare you into accepting liability because they otherwise haven’t got a leg to stand on.
> If they do start some kind of hate campaign in the tabloids or online, what recourse do I have? A defamation lawsuit? (JapanLife’s favorite!)
If they actually went through with it (and they won’t): lawsuit against the magazine, and criminal defamation charges against the wife and her “lawyer”.
Make sure that you file a police report for the attempt at extortion (higai todoke) – and do this at a main police station. In the event that they ARE stupid enough to try to follow through, not only will it likely prevent them from going any further with this plan, it will have the details of the extortion attempt recorded for evidence in any future action. And if you happened to have the presence of mind to record the interaction, there could already be enough evidence for a charge to be laid. If they obtained your contact information through false pretenses, there will be record of this at the koban or the police station (all interactions are recorded on camera), and that also may be sufficient evidence.
First off, it’s illegal for someone to ride a bicycle with an umbrella (affects capability to maneuver).
Second, it’s the cyclists responsibility to avoid pedestrians, not the other way.
You are in no way liable, and would always win in court with just these two points in mind and the video proof.
At the very least, get a report from the police on how they got your address.
Go in calmly, record the conversation (it’s legal in Japan), and have them acknowledge they gave out your address (which it sounds like they probably did). Don’t have a blow up then and there. Take that information to a good lawyer, and then go scorched earth on the police as an absolute minimum. Not legal advice as I’m not a lawyer, but you’ll most likely come out very well financially, and as a bonus, the police will take your concerns about the thugs more seriously as that’s suddenly on their shoulders.
RECORD EVERYTHING. STAY CALM. DON’T OFFER ANYTHING.
Gotta be some kind of unspoken Reddit rule that people who speak English better than natives end their post with “sorry for my English”!
You taught me what a bollard is lol
Given the description of the people who came to your house, I wonder if that’s the actual wife or a professional scammer.
Hold fast and don’t give in to any threats!
Jesus Christ, the ridiculousness of the comments here on cops outing you…
The accident report is going to have your name on it. With a name that stands out like a sore thumb, it’s super easy to find where someone lives here.
On the other part, it’s a shakedown. No real “lawyer” is going to threaten going to the tabloids LOL. If they come back, record it and call the cops. Or just don’t open the door. Or jet a big ass dog…or two.
Go finish the job
A hard and fast rule in Japan is “never answer your door to anyone you don’t know”.
Avoids so many issues.
Unless you can clearly see they are a policeman.