Dangerous FG-run Enterprise Busted

[Samurai_Jerk]

A British national named James Wood has been arrested for running an unlicensed hotel for foreign tourists through Airbnb. I haven't found an English version of this story yet but here it is in Japanese. Someone I know is friends with Wood and was told that the guy's apartment was raided by 10 cops who collected evidence of his heinous crime. I completely understand the issue with running an unlicensed business but this seems like a bit of an overreaction and the fact that this is now national news is ridiculous.

[wagyl]

Certain moderators of this forum may also be interested in developments.

[Yokohammer]

Your tax yen at work.

Making a case for stronger anti-foreign and anti-immigration sentiment nationwide.

Next up: "Foreigner J-walks in Tokyo! Causes widespread confusion and alarm!"

[matsuki]

the guy's apartment was raided by 10 cops who collected evidence of his heinous crime.

...and took measurements, lots of measurements I'm sure.

So what exactly is the penalty for "running an unlicensed hotel" in Japan?

[Samurai_Jerk]

the guy's apartment was raided by 10 cops who collected evidence of his heinous crime.

...and took measurements, lots of measurements I'm sure.

So what exactly is the penalty for "running an unlicensed hotel" in Japan?

Don't know but if it's anything more than a fine and being forced to shut the business down, it's too much.

[kurogane]

the guy's apartment was raided by 10 cops who collected evidence of his heinous crime.

...and took measurements, lots of measurements I'm sure.

So what exactly is the penalty for "running an unlicensed hotel" in Japan?

Depending on his visa status, deportment I would think. One of his parents started a Help Our Son! thread on Gaijinnot a couple of days ago. Here is the quick summary:

-a decidedly subliterate and rather snippy and presumptuous parent, so the son's sins seem more plausible now; he was warned by the authorities 10 times before he was busted; the idea came up that he was suspected of running a brothel (the vid mentioned his guests were younger Thai women), which may explain the SWAT swoop; alternatively, he was running a brothel, and this response is a legal nicety to save face for somebody with influence, perhaps the landlord (the brothel bit is all conjecture, FTR); he is a pencil-nosed weedy boy with a douchey haircut wearing Uniqlo, so any sympathy might be wasted.

I'll go over and try to get the vid.

TADA!

My gut votes for deportation.

[Samurai_Jerk]

My gut votes for deportation.

That would be my guess.

The brothel thing sounds like a stretch based on what's written in the link I gave. He's suspected of letting 7 people including a Thai man (or men) stay at his place in March and April.

[kurogane]

Yeah, probably. We were just riffing on why such a trivial infraction would enjoy such high profile treatment. I do sort of like my coverup theory. It has a nice Tinfoil hat ring to it. As for his future in Japan, depending on his visa status he pretty much has to go now. It's a public matter now, and he Broke the Rules. Would he not have to be full PR to run a business without special permission from immigration?

Betcha the Tojo-net is burning up with outrage and moral opprobrium.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Yeah, probably. We were just riffing on why such a trivial infraction would enjoy such high profile treatment. I do sort of like my coverup theory. It has a nice Tinfoil hat ring to it.

Besides the fact that he's an FG and the locals always get hard for stories involving FG and that he is more than likely in violation of his status, I think it might be this:

「将来、東京でオリンピックもあるので、低料金の施設を提供した」と容疑を認めています。

Authorities probably want to try to nip that kind of thing in the bud before it becomes a much bigger issue. I'm sure they'll say it's related to making sure Japan is a safety country and the Tokyo Olympics are a safety Olympics, but it really comes down to revenue. I guess that is a conspiracy, just not of the tinfoil hat kind.

[yanpa]

One of his parents started a Help Our Son! thread on Gaijinnot a couple of days ago. Here is the quick summary

and here is the thread

[yanpa]

My gut votes for deportation.

That would be my guess.

The brothel thing sounds like a stretch based on what's written in the link I gave. He's suspected of letting 7 people including a Thai man (or men) stay at his place in March and April.

The narrator says 7 Thai women travellers:「タイ人旅行客、女性ら７人」

[kurogane]

Authorities probably want to try to nip that kind of thing in the bud before it becomes a much bigger issue. I'm sure they'll say it's related to making sure Japan is a safety country and the Tokyo Olympics are a safety Olympics, but it really comes down to revenue. .

Occam's Shaver Award of the month. Of course. Good call. If he hadn't been so stupid about it it might have been an admirable and rather far-sighted entrepeneurial effort. I find it hard to sympathise with anybody that ignores 10 warnings, but if he gets fastracked he might be able to fly home and wait out his 5 year ban and make it back just before the big boondoggle.


Yanpa,

Yes, it does. That little discrepancy actually just made my tinfoil ear covers wiggle a bit. It seems both the article and the Youtube video are from the 16th. Perhaps some of them were in Japan for a sex change?

[Samurai_Jerk]

My gut votes for deportation.

That would be my guess.

The brothel thing sounds like a stretch based on what's written in the link I gave. He's suspected of letting 7 people including a Thai man (or men) stay at his place in March and April.

The narrator says 7 Thai women travellers:「タイ人旅行客、女性ら７人」

I just listened to the Youtube video from TBS and you're right. However, the one I originally linked to from TV Asahi mentions Thai men. It also doesn't mention anything about the 10 warnings from authorities that TBS does. I wonder if they said shut down or we'll send the cops and he called what he thought was a bluff.

[matsuki]

he was warned by the authorities 10 times before he was busted

If that's the case, he did this to himself.

As to Thai hookers as customers....probably how he got caught in the first place.

[yanpa]

Yanpa,

Yes, it does. That little discrepancy actually just made my tinfoil ear covers wiggle a bit. It seems both the article and the Youtube video are from the 16th. Perhaps some of them were in Japan for a sex change?

Ah yes, the article says 「タイ人の男性など7人」.

If we could get pictures of them, our resident tranny expert could help clarify the discrepancy.

[Samurai_Jerk]

he was warned by the authorities 10 times before he was busted

If that's the case, he did this to himself.

As to Thai hookers as customers....probably how he got caught in the first place.

I can think of other reasons why he might want to rent to young women on holiday besides running a brothel. Anyway, the Thai hooker stereotype is a little played out. I live between Asakusa and the Skytree and there are tons of Thai tourists these days.

[yanpa]

he was warned by the authorities 10 times before he was busted

If that's the case, he did this to himself.

As to Thai hookers as customers....probably how he got caught in the first place.

I can think of other reasons why he might want to rent to young women on holiday besides running a brothel. Anyway, the Thai hooker stereotype is a little played out. I live between Asakusa and the Skytree and there are tons of Thai tourists these days.

Yeah, Shinjuku (the bits outside Kabukicho) is teeming with them too, lots of businesses around there suddenly sprouting Thai script.

[matsuki]

Hahahahaha, indeed...

Speaking of which, do any of you remember several years ago some young Japanese lemur advertising free room, board, and sex at her Tokyo apartment...for foreigners?

[yanpa]

Hahahahaha, indeed...

Speaking of which, do any of you remember several years ago some young Japanese lemur advertising free room, board, and sex at her Tokyo apartment...for foreigners?

No... how was she?

just yanking your chain

[Samurai_Jerk]

he was warned by the authorities 10 times before he was busted

If that's the case, he did this to himself.

As to Thai hookers as customers....probably how he got caught in the first place.

I can think of other reasons why he might want to rent to young women on holiday besides running a brothel. Anyway, the Thai hooker stereotype is a little played out. I live between Asakusa and the Skytree and there are tons of Thai tourists these days.

Yeah, Shinjuku (the bits outside Kabukicho) is teeming with them too, lots of businesses around there suddenly sprouting Thai script.

Yeah, Shinokubo's Korea town is also becoming a little Bangkok.

[matsuki]

Hahahahaha, indeed...

Speaking of which, do any of you remember several years ago some young Japanese lemur advertising free room, board, and sex at her Tokyo apartment...for foreigners?

No... how was she?

just yanking your chain

LOL, I wasn't over here at the time and to be honest, I don't ever remember where I saw the posting but it was complete with pictures of her and the apartment and made it's rounds to several forums at the time.

[kurogane]

No offence or stereotyping of Thais intended; it was just a riff on this level of reaction to a trivial infraction that got me thinking there might be something going on behind the Black Curtain. Yours is the better theory, but mine is way more fun. He even looks sort of weedy pimpy. Who wears French Collar striped t-shirts these days?

So, anyways, to further the Icarus meets Oscar Wilde angle: his response to either the repeated warnings or as a defence for his lack of a licence is that his operation was a room sharing arrangement not an inn, so not only is he too clever by half, but he's also half short of enough bricks to make the load. To wit, if it were a room sharing arrangement as he claims he would not be charging nightly, and if he was charging nightly it would not be a room sharing arrangement. I cannot imagine why I know that but I am sure I do (in Jpn legal terms, I mean).

[omae mona]

I don't have any sympathy for the guy. After being told 10 times he was in violation and him continuing to say "fuck you" to the authorities, he fully got what he deserved. Look, I don't know the details, but I don't think the requirements for licensing a lodging can be that burdensome. Look at all the little mom & pop places running share houses legally. I doubt there is any reason not to get the license except A) you're a cheapskate asshole, or B) you have no plans to comply with the rules that guarantee safety for guests and neighbours.

There are good reasons for the rules. It's entirely possible (and, I suspect, likely) that the place was a death trap. The licensing requirements include making sure there are smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, fire escapes, etc. Who here does a personal safety inspection when they check into a hotel? Nobody. You assume the local authorities have done some level of diligence to make sure it's safe. The guests in this guy's place surely assumed it was safe, but in all likelihood it was not actually safe.

[legion]

Caught the tail end of the news report the other night and wondered what he'd done

My guess is they decided to make a point, partly because of the Olympics, but also because of safety. I'm gong out on a limb here but some people actually care about safety issues here, remember that bar that got burnt in Kabukicho a few years back, prompted a big crackdown by the fire brigade. I think they want to nip stuff like this in the bud before it gets out of hand.

[wagyl]

Reports that he received a number of warnings do make it surprising that the guy continued to let his place out, but I think it is a stretch to say that the place is a death trap, any more than a dinky little place I am aware of near Yoyogi is. However, even I, with my dislike of modern journalism and my consequent distance from media sources, am aware that Airbnb's members are coming in for flak from many directions regarding the "like a hotel but not complying with hotel regulations" issue. (My personal view is that it is nothing like a hotel and everything like a rental, only the lease is for 5 days not 730 days.)

Further reading: (all relating to issues within the United States)
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/c ... oblem.html
http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/2014/04/0 ... on-airbnb/
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/ ... nger_.html

[Coligny]

Reports that he received a number of warnings do make it surprising that the guy continued to let his place out.

You are new to mankind ?

[wagyl]

Reports that he received a number of warnings do make it surprising that the guy continued to let his place out.

You are new to mankind ?

No. Are you?

[Russell]

Tokyo governor airs reform plan for luring scarce foreign talent

Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe on Monday pledged to launch an aggressive deregulation drive to lure foreign talent to the capital to spur economic growth and restore its reputation as Asia’s business hub.

Japan is hobbled by strict immigration policies and red tape that businesses must battle to attract skilled workers — two factors that tend to send global firms and investors into the arms of such rivals as Singapore.

“We have to import many intelligent people from abroad. We badly need young talented persons,” he said at a press conference.

By working with the central government, Masuzoe promised to relax labor regulations in a special district to be set up in the metropolis to make it easier for foreigners to live and work in Japan.

More

Mr. Governor's initiative went off to a bad start. If you want to attract such people, the first thing not to do is parade an enterprising foreign national arrested for a minor infraction of the rules in front of the cameras for the whole world to see.

Oh, Mr. Governor wants "talented" and "skilled" foreigners, by which he undoubtedly means people with academic degrees. Well, I have news for him. That is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition to be a successful entrepreneur.

Take Heineken, for example, a successful salesman, so successful that he could built up a big beer imperium (OK, many people seem to call his product beer; this is not an endorsement from me). He was also known to be notoriously unacademic...

[Coligny]

Reports that he received a number of warnings do make it surprising that the guy continued to let his place out.

You are new to mankind ?

No. Are you?

So, you were just not paying attention...

[wagyl]

No, I was agreeing with one part of a previous post, before going on to express a differing opinion about another part of that previous post. I am, however, having great difficulty in understanding what it is that you are trying to assert.