illegal overstayers, please turn yourselves in right away!

[TennoChinko]

For a good time, call (03) 5796-7256...

[color="Red"]For any information regarding possible illegal overstayers[/color]
[color="Blue"]Please report to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau[/color] ([color="Red"]Tel. 03-5796-7256[/color])



[SIZE="1"]source (reddit): http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/o0v21/on_a_train_in_tokyo_including_a_call_for/[/SIZE]

[Yokohammer]

[Samurai_Jerk]

Although I don't really see anything hugely wrong with this, other than the slight "turn your neighbor in" implication, the "Turning yourself in guarantees you will not be detained nor be charged with any penalty" bit sounds kind of suspect (in addition to being bad Engrish). They're just going to say "Thank you for dropping by ... off you go!"? I assume that there will at least be some possibly deserved but onerous paperwork for most, and deportation for some. They're going to kindly ask people to deport themselves?

Of course a person who turns himself in will have to leave but I think what they're trying to say is your won't be locked up or charged with any crime for overstaying (I'm sure if they find out you're committing some other crime you will be subject to arrest). I know an English guy who married an a Filipina who overstayed her visa. When they decided to leave Japan she turned herself in and that's pretty much how it worked. They gave her a month to get her affairs in order and she was never detained or charged with a crime. What I'm not sure is if or how that affects the 5 year ban on reentering Japan which as I understand it is basically a lifetime ban unless you have family here.

[tone]

not to be a dick, but shouldnt that be written in chinese

ba-bammmmmm!!!

i would be curious some of the stories about overstayers, but i have a feeling it goes along with being from a not so wealthy family in a developing country

[Yokohammer]

Of course a person who turns himself in will have to leave but I think what they're trying to say is your won't be locked up or charged with any crime for overstaying (I'm sure if they find out you're committing some other crime you will be subject to arrest). I know an English guy who married an a Filipina who overstayed her visa. When they decided to leave Japan she turned herself in and that's pretty much how it worked. They gave her a month to get her affairs in order and she was never detained or charged with a crime. What I'm not sure is if or how that affects the 5 year ban on reentering Japan which as I understand it is basically a lifetime ban unless you have family here.

OK, so they do ask people to leave on their own recognizance. I had heard of people being booted out via detention centers, but I guess the detention-deportation process is more for overstayers the immigration people have had to track down and arrest.

That makes sense. Except that having to leave within a certain period of time could be interpreted as "being charged with a penalty," even though it seems like a reasonable penalty. As you say, they're probably talking about criminal charges. But I assume that goes on some sort of record in order to enforce the "no re-entry for x number of years" consequence.

[Samurai_Jerk]

[Yokohammer]

[Samurai_Jerk]

I have to conclude that it is not simply an innocent mistranslation.

I reached the same conclusion.

[legion]

leaves plenty of leeway for them to bust your ass if they're having a bad day,

or if you are not from an English speaking country perhaps?

[TennoChinko]

not to be a dick, but shouldnt that be written in chinese

ba-bammmmmm!!!

i would be curious some of the stories about overstayers, but i have a feeling it goes along with being from a not so wealthy family in a developing country

I agree. Chinese & Korean. In fact, the absence of both languages is kind of suspect - almost all other communications for foreigners in Japan include Chinese and Korean.

[Coligny]

I agree. Chinese & Korean. In fact, the absence of both languages is kind of suspect - almost all other communications for foreigners in Japan include Chinese and Korean.

The 'don't steal shit' signs are usually Bresilortuguese, Russian, Chinese, Korean.

New these days in Kahma, a draw postern showing a J.K. paying at the cashier with in the background an evil satanic obachan hiding shit in her bag... have to take picture of this... but it's at the exit and i usually have few kilos of tools wood and paint in my arms at this time...

[legion]

The Japanese part is aimed at the Japanese, the difference is there to reassure them that naughty gaijin are not getting away scott free

[Coligny]

And as usual in contracts here, the japanese language interpretation prevail.

[torasan]

RE: ["Turning yourself in guarantees you will not be detained nor be charged with any penalty" bit sounds kind of suspect (in addition to being bad Engrish). They're just going to say "Thank you for dropping by ... off you go!"? I assume that there will at least be some possibly deserved but onerous paperwork for most, and deportation for some. They're going to kindly ask people to deport themselves? '']

My guess this mean those who turn themselves in will be deported but without any court date or jail time or detention time, however, it will go on their record that they overstayed their visa for so many days or years and they will NEVER be allowed in to Japan again. But at last they will get out without going to jail or detention center and deported in handcuffs as Narita as happened TO ME in 1996, when i was jailed for 41 days in a single cell , tried in court in Kasumigaseki, after a confession that I was told would not hurt my chances of quilety leaving the country and coming back in a month or two, haha, the police interpreter told em that, thanks Eriko-chan, and then i was found guility in court triala nd sentence to 3 years at hard labor SUSPENDED for 3 years if i agreed to be deported foreever ASAP and then i was deported two weeks later afer another 10 day jail term and deported at Narita in handcuffs and then told i owuld nEVER be allowed back in Japan agian for the rest of my days, SAYONARA TORA-SAN they told me with a smile om their faces, and i guess the NEW IDEA is to save taxpayer money for detaining and locking up visa overstayers, it probably cost the J govt YEN A LOT OF to find me, arrest me, indict me, jail me, try me, bus me around to severael jails adn then bus me to Narita etc, so it's cheaper and better to go out with this new IDEA above, in sign, I wish i had known that, i would have done it....i did not overstay on purpose, i overstayed for medical reasons but they never saw it that way......shoganai!

[Coligny]

Was it per any chances... psychiatric medical reasons ?

[torasan]

no, the med reasons was much more mundane than psychiatric......hehe..... but then again, who stole my meds.......KIDDING......

re ''Was it per any chances... psychiatric medical reasons ?''

[torasan]

The key to that sign above, though, is that the person who gets sent home will not be allowed to return ever ever again. But it's a lot better than goign through the long arrest, indict, trial, and deportation process. makes sense and saves J taxpayers money. But yes, there are weasel words in the sign, as others point out. Once you report for voluntary self deportation, your goose is cooked. Still, much saner than jail time. Choose your hell.

[Coligny]

Being banned from Japan... sounds a bit like being forbidden to die from ebola...

[Mike Oxlong]

Being banned from Japan... sounds a bit like being forbidden to die from ebola...

EVD takes from a few days to a few weeks to do it's dirty work...onset of YBF is similar in speed, but much longer and more painful in duration.

[GomiGirl]

What happens to overstayers if they just try to leave quietly into the night without reporting themselves beforehand? Are they detained at Narita?

[omae mona]

What happens to overstayers if they just try to leave quietly into the night without reporting themselves beforehand? Are they detained at Narita?

There have been reports of J-Immigration at Narita beginning to do this in the last few years. I think this was covered in a thread here a few years ago, but darn it, I can't find it now. If I recall, more than a few unlucky folks were offered a few nights of comfy futons and Japanese food inside Narita's detention facility before they were allowed to leave.

[torasan]

Yes, in Narita's B4 level, way underground, there is a holding cell for such volunteer deportees who are processed there and kept for a few days with futon for bed and three good meals per day and then walked to their waiting airplane in handcuffs, with handcuff covers covering their handcuffed hands and wrists so that the public, the travelling public of Japanese and Foreigners, will not see that they are handcuffed as they walk through the passenger terminal at Narita with two heavyset police officers on either side of them. Nice Japanese touch: cover the offending handcuffs. Very polite.

re: ''If I recall, more than a few un-lucky folks were offered a few free nights of comfy futons and Japanese food inside Narita's detention facility before they were allowed to leave.''

[IparryU]

Yes, in Narita's B4 level, way underground, there is a holding cell for such volunteer deportees who are processed there and kept for a few days with futon for bed and three good meals per day and then walked to their waiting airplane in handcuffs, with handcuff covers covering their handcuffed hands and wrists so that the public, the travelling public of Japanese and Foreigners, will not see that they are handcuffed as they walk through the passenger terminal at Narita with two heavyset police officers on either side of them. Nice Japanese touch: cover the offending handcuffs. Very polite.

re: ''If I recall, more than a few un-lucky folks were offered a few free nights of comfy futons and Japanese food inside Narita's detention facility before they were allowed to leave.''

you see this little box above this text? it is called a fucking quote box... please start using it. there is a button that looks like a little comic book text bubble thingy that you can press to quote selected text....

you can also use html tags...

you have non-troll posts thus far (AFAIK) but the lest you can do is use the fuckin quote box...

and no hyper linking like gaijinpunch does...

[torasan]

will do

[IparryU]

will do

you could have even tried to hit the quote button at the bottom of my post... like i did now...

lots of fun comin up I schmee...

[imlost]

This looks like an updated version of "Report your neighbor website" they did quite a few years ago from the Tokyo Police which landed them in trouble. At least this way the Tokyo Police will just say they are alerting people of the fact.

[Ganma]

Looks like the message is getting through.

[color="black"][SIZE="3"]Immigration cuts lengthy detention for foreigners[/SIZE][/color]
Kyodo
The number of foreign nationals detained by immigration officials for one year or more has dropped significantly since a more flexible approach was adopted in response to harsh criticism of long-term detentions, according to the Justice Ministry.
As of August, 167 foreigners at immigration facilities in Ibaraki, Osaka and Nagasaki prefectures had been held for at least six months, the ministry said Friday.

Many of them are believed to have overstayed their visas and were waiting to be deported or were seeking asylum in Japan.

Those who had been held for at least one year totaled 47, down sharply from 115 at the end of 2009. The ministry said that since July 2010 it has been actively releasing people who are subject to deportation when it sees no need to keep them in custody.

The United Nations in 2007 criticized Japan's long-term detention of immigrants and recommended shorter periods of confinement, following a rash of suicides and hunger strikes at domestic immigration centers.

[matsuki]

Looks like the message is getting through.

Wouldn't deporting them be cheaper and making more sense? (assuming there is no real consideration for asylum)

[Ganma]

[Sa_Race]

I guess they also need to make some short investigation : their nationality, where they come from, where they were living, any family still here, any link to a criminal organisation etc... And check in all their databases, which means to send a guy with a speleology helmet to the other side of Japan so he can explore a labyrinth made of papyrus scrolls.