Hi! I’m going to be working as an ALT in a few months and I’m bringing my husband to Japan with me. We’ll be in the countryside in the west, but I don’t know the exact city yet.
I don’t want to say anything super political or controversial, but I would like to know what the situation is like with police in Japan. In the U.S., unspeakable things have been having around me lately with cops, and it can be very daunting. I’d like to be somewhere safe, especially because my husband is brown. I don’t want to worry anymore when I see a cop, in case they see me or my husband, because they might be bored and looking for trouble.
Have you experienced police brutality, racism, or bias in Japan? If so, how bad is it? Do I need to fear for my husband’s life if we move?
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**What are police like in Japan? Are they as scary as in USA?**
Hi! I’m going to be working as an ALT in a few months and I’m bringing my husband to Japan with me. We’ll be in the countryside in the west, but I don’t know the exact city yet.
I don’t want to say anything super political or controversial, but I would like to know what the situation is like with police in Japan. In the U.S., unspeakable things have been having around me lately with cops, and it can be very daunting. I’d like to be somewhere safe, especially because my husband is brown. I don’t want to worry anymore when I see a cop, in case they see me or my husband, because they might be bored and looking for trouble.
Have you experienced police brutality, racism, or bias in Japan? If so, how bad is it? Do I need to fear for my husband’s life if we move?
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Generally harmless. Less likely (by a large margin) to shoot you.
Though as with most police systems if you find yourself involved with it (specifically on the wrong end), the system is structured in such a way that it is likely to make your life miserable.
When I first moved to Japan there was a big scandal. A police officer was stabbed! Originally the police officer gave some story about a scary foreigner stabbing him, but eventually the story fell apart and he admitted he stabbed himself because he was bored and wanted a day off work.
There are some pretty scary stories of people being mistreated by police here. There was the fellow a few years back who was suffering from a medical emergency and police refused the ambulance drivers access to him until after he passed out (and subsequently died). There are people who are held without charges a very long time indeed (the standard operating procedure is to hold you for 28 days, the maximum allowable, and then release you only to arrest you once again for an extremely similar but legally different crime, repeat ad nauseum until you confess to something just to get it over with).
There are some pretty funny stories of cops working part time jobs as hookers, or the organized crime officer who started dating the subject of her investigation and provided the criminal organization with intelligence regarding the investigation.
In general, do you have to worry about getting physically harmed by the police? No, not really. But depending on where you live they can be pretty annoying about random stops.
All my interactions with cops in Japan were fine – but the weird thing is how many interactions I did have with them because I don’t think I’ve spoken to a cop since I left Japan. Riding a bicycle is, apparently, a perfectly good reason for the cops to stop you and check your details. It feels a bit like harassment, but I suspect it’s more that they have nothing better to do.
Anyway, I think if you’re polite, have your gaijin card, and aren’t doing anything clearly illegal – they’re just going to move on.
The overall justice system in Japan seems pretty poor though, so, y’know – don’t do crime.
Mostly friendly as long as you follow social rules. Just don’t be loud. Most foreigners that get stopped by police are usually just being loud fuckers or think it’s fine to make a scene. It’s not.
Also the better-clothed you are, the less likely they’ll stop you.
Colored hair, visible tattoos, non ear piercings or sunglasses with a suit can also make you look suspicious to them. But lately I think they’ve cut down on stopping people like that. I usually see them just stop loud and drunk morons.
OK, moving away from my initial comment, I legit thought this is a troll post. Japan is definitely safer than the US. Moreover you are moving to the countryside, which is even more safe. This is probably your first time out of the US, so your lens on how you view things is limited, especially using the societal maelstrom that is the US as a comparative view. That being said, no police force is completely infallible, the police here have been caught offside in some cases, but in general, most interactions with them are cordial. Will your hubby experience some discrimination? Yes and so will you also because we are all seen as foreigners first before skin tone. Is it as bad as the US though, nothing compares to the US on that scale, USA number 1. You will be fine and both of you will enjoy your experience here.
They might ask to see your ID if you’re foreign to check you’re here legally, but for the most part they just leave people alone.
They won’t shoot you. They will starve you to death though. Just don’t overstay your visa
As long as you don’t feel the need to challenge them when they ask for your ID, you will be ok.
Properly register your bicycle and follow traffic rules there should be no problem.
The problem starts when you need to spend days in a detention centre.
And yeah they probably won’t drive around and hit you with a car.
Generally pretty harmless but their ability to keep people indefinitely is pretty shameful for a modern developed country to have. Though coming from the US I should not be talking. Personally though would rather both me and Japanese friends properly shit talk to crap aspects of our justice system.
Mostly harmless/useless UNLESS you have been arrested and they need a confession.
7 years living in Fukuoka City, I (white American) haven’t once interacted with a police officer.
Among foreign friends of mine in Japan, 2 in tokyo (both Americans, one white and one black) have been stopped numerous times (checking ID usually, black American had his backpack searched once).
Another friend (black American) of mine here in Fukuoka has not been stopped in 9 years.
It’s never come up in conversation before with other friends, though, so it’s a pretty small sample size.
I’m not sure if Tokyo police are just a bit overzealous or the Fukuoka police are more chill, but aside from pestering foreigners with pointless ID or bag checks, I haven’t heard from either of the two friends that police were ever aggressive or physical.
Hey, as another Gaijin in the countryside I thought I’d give my experience.
all in all the police have been super harmless, but be prepared to always be the first one asked about anything. Someone’s shirt was stolen off the line? Police will come ask about that. Local vandalism? You’ll be asked if you know anyone who hangs around alleys late at night. Gaijin was spotted 3 cities over being rude with customers? You’ll be asked if they know him. Someone parked at the local bakery and didn’t buy anything? believe it or not, cops called to my place about it. They even already knew my address before I had my first run in!
All in all in the last 3 or 4 years I’ve had at least a dozen “run-ins” with cops here. However, it’s important to point out every single time they were polite, apologetic, and left as soon as I said I didn’t know.
Here it’s better to almost think of them as mediators. They’re usually people’s, especially elderly, first response to any slight or problem between strangers.
As long as you stay calm, be polite, and have your card they’re entirely harmless.
I think it depends upon where you’re from and where you live. My Japanese friends used to joke that as long as I don’t speak Japanese, then no one would ever know that I’m not Japanese. So I’ve never been harassed by anyone in Japan. My friends who are white foreigners (Americas, Canadian, European) tend to draw attention from Japanese people who want to speak English with them and/or generally curious about their background. My Canadian friend said that he was harassed by the local grandma in his neighborhood on trash day because she would make sure he prepared his trash properly for that day because she didn’t think he knew how to sort his trash. But unless you make a big scene at a bar or out on the town, most police never bother this group of foreigners.
But the one thing that was shared with me was from a Filipina housekeeper that helped us out. She told me that her and her friends would get stopped a regular basis by the police to check her immigration paperwork. I don’t know if things are different now vs. 10 years ago, but just keep in mind that not all foreigner experiences are the same.
I never had issues, they never stoped me for random checking not even while driving, never argued about something.
I feel like the police in Japan is more kind and helping than ny experiences outside of Japan as I often ask information or return some missing properites, like a wallet I found on the street (and no, I didn’t took a cut from it).