I ask because I've never been stopped, even once. No cop here has ever demanded to see my ID, asked where I was going, made me prove my bike was mine, or hassled me in any way. That's after 13 years here, with a hell of a lot of drunken staggering through Roppongi, Kabuki-cho, Dogenzaka, Kogane, and plenty of other unsavory neighborhoods. Most of the FGs I know and work with, however, have been stopped multiple times, so I'm wondering who's the oddball: me or them?

Also, if you've been stopped, what were the circumstances, and how frequently does it happen?

Me too: twelve years here, never been stopped. And that's despite the fact that I like to needle them, for example by pointing to the ubiquitous posters of Ichihashi and saying, "Wasureinai yo! Ganbatte!"

In my nearly 14 years here I have never been stopped for "being gaijin".

I got pulled over for speeding once (140 in a 60 zone) and got a warning.

I also had a funny experience with a drunk driving roadblock that was about 10m past the entrance to my old apartment. I turned into the parking lot and drove around behind the building. As I pulled up and got out of the car I was very surprised to see a cop jogging towards me. "WTF!?" He asked to see my driver's license to make sure I actually lived there and wasn't just avoiding passing through the roadblock! He was very nice about it and jogged back the way he came after seeing my license.

I agree that some people seem to attract interest from the cops and others don't. I have no idea why that is though... I've done obviously illegal things right in front of cops and never had a problem. There was the speeding incident mentioned above. Another was when I was on my way home on a bike once in the middle of the afternoon. I had to cross a 4 lane road and was in a bit of a hurry. The light was red but there were no cars coming so I decided to head across... Half way across I see a cop standing on the other side looking right at me. "Oh fuck." Well, there wasn't much to do but keep going, so I did. By the time I got to the other side he was studiously looking the other way down the street and I went on my way... This sort of thing has happened more than a few times. On the other hand I have known people who didn't look (to my eyes) particularly "ayashii" but they constantly had problems. Weird. Works for me though!

Been stopped a couple of times to find out if I owned the bicycle I was riding and since they all have Dimwit clearly printed in English on them they have quickly let me go, so I have never been asked for ID.

I've never been stopped when simply minding my own business. But this poll is misleading. The fact is, if there is any activity going on around you, then you will probably be among the first to be questioned or have suspicion sent your way. Simply minding your business and walking the streets is usually not enough to get a j-cop to say anything to you. But bump into someone on the train, stare too hard at the wrong person, be in the wrong club, run into an overzealous combini clerk or taxi driver and you will see a different picture.

Having said all that, so far I still prefer j-cops over U.S. cops who shoot-taser-beat you to death FIRST and ask questions later.

Just for the sake of being stopped and asked to show my passport or gaijin card. Up until this year I hadn't even been stopped by the traffic guys. but wouldn't you know it, I have gotten nailed twice this year for speeding. Once going 56 ina 40km zone. And then again last week going 70km in a 50km zone. I will have to be very careful now because if I get nailed again, I will loose my license for up to thirty days, unless I go back to traffic school for a day. Both times the cops were nothing but friendly and curteous to me. Didn't ask any questions, just told me I was speeding, gave me the tickets and told me to gambatte to keep my speed down.
On a side note, there was an incident in my city yesterday, a 22 year old Misawa base guy grabbed some girl and touched her ass. Now everyone is all up in arms about the damn gaijin. My friend from the base said there will be hell to pay come Monday morning for all the young military guys. Did any of you her about that? Hachinohe, Aomori.

I got "carded" once, when I was sitting on the corner at 2AM with some punk rockers who were passing around a guitar. Apparently my guitar playing is a minor offense against the state. A cop asked to see my passport, seemed satisfied, and left. None of the nihonjin were asked for ID, apparently they were already well known to the police.

Charles wrote: Apparently my guitar playing is a minor offense against the state.

Maybe your playing? Felony plucking is a rough one.

Strange:shock:
Despite not being gaijin, I have been stopped by cops over 10 times so far since junior high school student. Especially when I rode a worn-out bicycle in my college days, I often had been done. Probably they must had thought I was over-staying chinese.

jim katta wrote: Simply minding your business and walking the streets is usually not enough to get a j-cop to say anything to you.

BULLSHIT

I was stopped once on the street and once near the stores and restaurants in Narita Airport.

I've been carded a few times. The last two times I've made quite a fuss - I bet those J-cops really hate the bullshit that must come with carding these days about as much as we hate being carded. I wasted the cunt's time for a good near 20 mins. Went something like this...

cop: you speak japanese?
me: why?
cop: would you mind showing me your passport?
me: I'm not carrying my passport.
cop: Oh, are you a resident?
me: Why?
cop: becuae I need to check your gaijin card.
me: Why?
cop: we are doing anti-terrorism spot checks, for public safety. Its just routine. would you mind showing me your card?
me: Yes I would mind
Cop: There is no need to worry.
Me: Im not worried. It is my understanding that cops and immigration officials have the right to card foreigners if they have reason to believe that the person has the intent, is in the process of, or has comitted a crime. So what am I suspected of doing?
Cop: Nothing. Its just routine.
Me: Oh, so I dont have to show you my card then?
Cop: Why are you being difficult?
Me: Because I am a tax paying resident and you are a public servant. I would have thought there were 1000 more pressing things you could be doing than coming up to me in front of my children and insinuating that I could be a terrorist. Anyway, what am I accused of?
Cop: Nothing. But its illegal to drink alcohol in public. And you are drinking a can of beer.
Me: So? I bought it at the baiten (10 meters away). There are about 30-40 people drinking here. Why me? Oh and by the way, have you ever been to a hanami party? Is it illegal to drink at those? If so, 75% of Japan is going to be in the shit over April.

The long and the short of it was that in the end I showed him my card. I drew quite a crowd. I never shouted or appeared aggressive. And I think I got my point across. So there you go...

Like many other people here have said, I've lived in Japan for a total of 13 years and, except for the one time I was stopped for a legitimate traffic related reason (which was all kusai jiji's fault, by the way ) I have never been stopped by the cops.

[quote="Gilligan"]Like many other people here have said, I've lived in Japan for a total of 13 years and, except for the one time I was stopped for a legitimate traffic related reason (which was all kusai jiji's fault, by the way ]

If memory serves, you made an illegal left hand turn in front of two motorcycle pigs, and then in your panic, rolled straight through a red light 20 meters from the corner. Didnt you only get booked for the red light?

kusai Jijii wrote:I've been carded a few times. The last two times I've made quite a fuss - I bet those J-cops really hate the bullshit that must come with carding these days about as much as we hate being carded. I wasted the cunt's time for a good near 20 mins. Went something like this...

cop: you speak japanese?
me: why?
cop: would you mind showing me your passport?
me: I'm not carrying my passport.
cop: Oh, are you a resident?
me: Why?
cop: becuae I need to check your gaijin card.
me: Why?
cop: we are doing anti-terrorism spot checks, for public safety. Its just routine. would you mind showing me your card?
me: Yes I would mind
Cop: There is no need to worry.
Me: Im not worried. It is my understanding that cops and immigration officials have the right to card foreigners if they have reason to believe that the person has the intent, is in the process of, or has comitted a crime. So what am I suspected of doing?
Cop: Nothing. Its just routine.
Me: Oh, so I dont have to show you my card then?
Cop: Why are you being difficult?
Me: Because I am a tax paying resident and you are a public servant. I would have thought there were 1000 more pressing things you could be doing than coming up to me in front of my children and insinuating that I could be a terrorist. Anyway, what am I accused of?
Cop: Nothing. But its illegal to drink alcohol in public. And you are drinking a can of beer.
Me: So? I bought it at the baiten (10 meters away). There are about 30-40 people drinking here. Why me? Oh and by the way, have you ever been to a hanami party? Is it illegal to drink at those? If so, 75% of Japan is going to be in the shit over April.

The long and the short of it was that in the end I showed him my card. I drew quite a crowd. I never shouted or appeared aggressive. And I think I got my point across. So there you go...

That just sounds like you were being a dick. In America you would have gotten your fucking face cracked.

kusai Jijii wrote:If memory serves, you made an illegal left hand turn in front of two motorcycle pigs, and then in your panic, rolled straight through a red light 20 meters from the corner. Didnt you only get booked for the red light?

That is correct my good man. And the guy seemed kind of apologetic that he was giving me that, but I kind of left him no choice having committed 2 moving violations right in front of him and his buddy. Plus I had a guy who looked like a terrorist sitting beside me.

[quote="AssKissinger"]That just sounds like you were being a dick.QUOTE]

Why?
I live here. I pay my taxes. I do crossing duty at the local primary school on Wednesdays. I am in the PTA. I do gomi toban evey second Thursday. I help do the weeding at town working bees. In short, i try to make a contribution to the community to which I am a member.
I am not a terrorist. I am not a criminal. I take offense when I am racially profiled in front of my children.
I dont live in America. I dont want to. I find it funny when Americans think they lend strenth to their opinions by saying ' back in America...' I dont give a fuck about America. If you think you are a 'guest' and the 'hosts' have the right to card you because you dont look Japanese, I think you should grow some balls.

Yeah, most of the US cops I've seen would have turned a hell of a lot less polite at about the second "why". Not saying it's right, it's just what's likely to happen.

Two of my friends have both been stopped and asked for ID (and then "interviewed" for 5-10 minutes) just while walking down the street from their apartments to the train station to go to work. Meanwhile, I've ridden past spots where the cops were waiting specifically to stop cyclists (one time it was three of them hiding in a nook on a pedestrian bridge at night; they stopped the Japanese guy right in front of me for riding double with his friend), and they just ignore me. Another time, there was some kind of sweep going on in Shibuya: a few dozen cars and at least a hundred cops were cruising around, pulling bar owners outside and "interviewing" them, stopping Japanese people on the street, etc., and again they just ignored me.

Why don't they care?

The cop is just doing his job trying to keep you and everyone else safe and you hard-ass him. He shouldn't have to put up with that kind of bullshit.

I dont live in America. I dont want to. I find it funny when Americans think they lend strenth to their opinions by saying ' back in America...' I dont give a fuck about America.

That's a fair point though.

sublight wrote:Yeah, most of the US cops I've seen would have turned a hell of a lot less polite at about the second "why". :

Again, and with respect, who gives a fuck? I dont live in America. For good reason. America is not the benchmark upon which I make decisions about every action I undertake in society.

AssKissinger wrote:The cop is just doing his job trying to keep you and everyone else safe and you hard-ass him.

Do you honestly think carding foreigners is keeping 'us' and everyone else safe? If you do, you must be the kind of fucktard that watches Lou Dobbs (see other thread;) )

Dont you ever wonder why Yaks have offices that the police rarely touch, or why cops will do surveillance at left-wing peace marches and Kyosanto rallys but wont lift a finger when uyoku cunts defy public ordinances concerning traffic rules, noise pollution, racial villification driving their gay black trucks around bluring out the kind of crap that comes from Take's gob?

The one thing J-cops will not do, my friend, is keep you safe from the biggest threat to you in this country - other Japanese!

Do you honestly think carding foreigners is keeping 'us' and everyone else safe?

Actually, yeah. Making sure foreigners are legal and booting those who aren't helps. The only violent confrontation I ever had in Japan was with another foreigner. And he was probably illegal.

AssKissinger wrote:Making sure foreigners are legal and booting those who aren't helps. The only violent confrontation I ever had in Japan was with another foreigner. And he was probably illegal.

Right... I can see how you could piss just about anyone off given the chance - Japanese, legal FG or otherwise.
Was Shoko Asahara an illegal foreigner?
You gotta get out more.

Just got back from a week of overeating at Roscoe's and Jamba Juice in LA and you're all fighting with each other...can't we all just...yeah whatever.
In 9 years, stopped once after getting my VISA renewed at the Shinagawa immigration-hellhole, I haven't been an interior designer my whole life and I want to redecorate that place. Undercover cop didn't seem like a cop, and I kept saying random numbers while he was looking at my gaijin card. I was going to start chanting the Hannukah labia minorah lighting song which probably would sound like I was about to detonate myself, but they let me go within 20 seconds.
When I lived in Minami-Azabu, I was stopped numerous times bicycling from Shibuya to Minami-Azabu. First time was the usual BS (no light on the bicycle). I told them that I just had a date and was a little tired after "repeated activity". Conversation turned into very graphic guy-talk and from then on the same two cops (I think it was the same two cops) would "pull me over" whenever we'd bump into each other and we'd talk about chicks for 5-10 minutes.
Ok, I'm off to the market. The expired OJ that I forgot to throw out in before the trip has spontaneously generated something...jisaboke's a bitch and she's starting her period in my head.

sublight wrote:
Why don't they care?

My guess would be you either don't look at all threatening, or you look too threatening for them to want to fuck with you for no good reason.

AssKissinger wrote:The cop is just doing his job trying to keep you and everyone else safe and you hard-ass him. He shouldn't have to put up with that kind of bullshit.

If he was alone or doing something suspicious maybe, but while he's out with his half Japanese kids? Bullshit, that's not the cop just doing his job, it's harrasment and insulting. Do you know what the odds of them finding an illegal overstayer with random checks are? Especially one out with his Japanese family?

Do you know what the odds of them finding an illegal overstayer with random checks are? Especially one out with his Japanese family?

Yes I do. One in seven.

I'd also be willing to bet there is a relationship between the number of times people are stopped and where they are stopped (nice areas in Tokyo vs. say my neighborhood, or Tokyo vs. Inaka, or any larger, more populated areas vs. small towns where everybody in town knows who you are the second you move in).

AssKissinger wrote:Yes I do. One in seven.

Bullshit. Explain, and if you just say that 1 in 7 foreigners in Japan is illegal I suggest you go take a statistics class.

AssKissinger wrote:Yes I do. One in seven.

Are you drunk? Go to bed.