Long story short, I got into a traffic accident a few months ago. Police came and filed a report, I went to my insurance, he went to his insurance. After that, I never was contacted by my insurance, his insurance, the other guy, or the police since then. So I thought it was settled.
(Edit: I forgot to mention that this is not my car, it is my friend’s car + insurance. But I still contacted them.)
Today, I received a 20 page envelope in the mail saying I’m being sued and have to go to court in February and give a verbal defence. It is written in super formal Japanese so I don’t understand everything, but I think I understand the gist. Bascially saying I haven’t paid yet so he is sueing me for the payment.
The traffic incident:
A few months ago, I parked my car next to his car. When I opened the door, I opened it too far and it hit his door. It left a small scratch in the door. He gets out and starts yelling at me, calls the police, and they came and wrote a report.
The accident is entirely my fault, however he is asking for over 400,000 yen to fix his car. It’s an extremely small scratch on his door. In the proof he sent me, he attached a bill for his car being fixed. However, in this bill, it includes many things like his roof, bumper, etc.. in the billing.
I think I’m being scammed but also at the same time, I did cause the accident so I don’t know what defense I have.
I would appreciate any information, specifically what to expect in court, will this affect my worrk VISA, or anything else.
15 comments
Is there any proof that you did that? Also did you admitted that to the police?
Contact your insurance company and tell them about this..
Is the name of defendant really you? Because if you are sued in civil trial in Japan, you would not be ordered to “go to court in February and give a verbal defence. ”
If you are sued, you must defend yourself in WRITTEN documents, not verbal at first. And you have right to ask a lawyer to defend you and go to court on your behalf. So you might be subpoenaed as a witness, not defendant.
BTW, this is a civil trial. So it does not affect your visa.
No you will be fine, if he insist just use a lawyer and give all the evidence
As for the repair bill, he probably got it done at Bigmotor…
You can contact [houterasu](https://www.houterasu.or.jp/) as well as your insurance company. It’s free and they have [interpreters](https://www.houterasu.or.jp/multilingual/index.html#:~:text=at%20no%20cost.-,How%20to%20Call,-Call%20us%20at).
Sounds like a shakedown. I think speaking to your friend’s insurance would be good, and letting them deal with it. If the police report says you only scratched the door,they can respond with a letter saying you are only willing to pay/settle for that amount (assuming that’s on the bill), a copy of the bill they sent with the scratch quote highlighted, and a copy of the police report. Could do it yourself, but that might somehow void an insurance claim.
Insurance and lawyer. Done. Never deal with scammers directly. Papers can be forged.
This was your friend’s car and insurance? Does your friend’s insurance cover you? Maybe your friend gave them your information.
I had this happen to me and my insurance company took care of the lawyer .. went to court .. I went to court once .. proceedings took over a year ( during corona). guy had done this like 9 times for quick money .. so my insurance company decided to fight it .. and we won..
if your friend’s insurance covers covers you they should take care and negotiate the damages.. that’s the most important thing is did his insurance cover you or not ?
100% a scam. Never deal with the counter-party directly. I know you are probably doing it out of your good heart, but it is not a good idea.
Scam. Call your insurance company. Likely dude thinks stupid foreigner can’t understand so he can get extra free repairs done. 400,000 for a scratched door bump? Nah dawg.
While I am on your side to fight this, you left some details out. Did you dent a Lambo SUV? Or a rolls royce sedan? If you dented an 89′ civic, then you can tell this person to go kick rocks and see you in court.
Spend the 10K-15K yen for legal counsel. This doesn’t seem worthy to even write it here, to be honest. Your gut and common sense should guide you here. Talk to your friend’s insurance adjusters and their recommended body shop for a quote. That will give you peace of mind here.
You need to get your insurance company involved. They have their own lawyers for such things.
Did you damage a very expensive car? If yes, 400000 yen is probably the right amount. Have you received the official quote from the other party’s repair shop?
You need to contact a lawyer and go to court. It’s a civil suit, and the victim can claim any amount of money, even if it’s unreasonable. You can deny and counterclaim, but this implies acceptance if you’re absent during the trial.
Whether 400,000 is reasonable is uncertain; for a classic or luxury car, it might be normal. Your friend’s insurance may not cover the accident, depending on the contract details. It’s your friend’s choice to use his insurance, but if he does, he’ll pay more for the insurance in the future, so it’s understandable if he doesn’t want to.
Reddit, especially Japanlife, isn’t a reliable platform for legal advice. While some call it a scam, it’s not. You can’t ignore this; consulting a lawyer is essential.