[REAL TALK] Stop & Frisk: Japanese style!

[Zaroku]

A few years back I was on my way to work, and in a hurry, so I was jogging through Tokyo station, on my way to Nihonbashi.

A cop standing on a crate or something sends a cop to chase me down, and bring me to him. He’s standing above me and asks “why you running? Is there something wrong?” I tell him nothing is wrong I’m late to work. It’s casual Friday, so I’m dressed in khaki pants, doc martins, long sleeve shirt.

He tells me “show me your I.D. ? I do, and he asks again why I was running. Long story short, they pay me down, open up my back pack, and after 8 min or so, send me off. As I’m walking away, I see two Japanese guys being treated the exact same way. I was mad at first, but it’s their country.

Stop & frisk works here, but I can see that it can be used. The police need no pretext or probable cause, nothing.

[Zaroku]

TOKYO
Japan is not without its random, unpredictable crimes, but in general it’s one of the safest countries in the world. Rates of theft and violent crime are comparatively low, and with 24-hour-staffed “koban” police boxes every few blocks, it’s easy to feel protected here.

However, foreigners in Japan sometimes report being stopped by the police and asked for ID, a practice which can seem shocking and unfair, especially if you’re not sure why it’s happening. With the police in Japan having less violent crime to deal with, they’re often tasked with handling smaller matters like bicycle theft, lost items, and simply giving directions to passers-by. They also sometimes pop by your house on their rounds to leave a friendly note in your mailbox letting you know where your nearest koban is. In short, the police in Japan have quite an approachable image, and are often addressed by members of the public as “Omawari-san“, or, literally, “Mr./Ms. Walk-Around.”

So, why do they stop foreigners? Well, firstly it’s important to note that they also stop Japanese people and ask to see their IDs as well. Being stopped by the police in Japan doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve done anything wrong at all. If you’re an unfamiliar face in their patrol area, they may just want to know what you’re doing there.

When I was working in a small rural town in Kyoto Prefecture, I was stopped in my first week there by a pair of officers who asked to see my ID (this was during the days of the "Gaikokujin toroku"/alien registration system, and not the residence system that’s in place today). I produced my ID, and then we had a really nice chat about the town and where all the best drinking spots were. They even told me about the town festival that was happening that weekend. Nothing to worry about, right?

https://japantoday.com/category/feat...happen-and-why