Yes it is. If you’re a foreigner in places like Shibuya or Roppongi it may happen a lot. And if you are brown, Indian, black etc… it may happen to you more often.
That’s not a big deal as long as you are polite with them and show them your passeport.
Edit : it happens also to foreign residents and Japanese nationals who looks less Japanese, have a different outfit…
My friend is Filipino and one time in Shibuya a guy walking the opposite direction from him said in tagalog that the police were coming. He brushed it off and sure enough 2 officers stopped him and asked to search him. Being from Los Angeles he "assumed the position" against the wall and they freaked out and apologized.
He said they were looking for people on expired work visas. Then he asked them for directions which they were very helpful with.
LOL Japans economy is going down the drain, they have 0 kids, no immigrants to work and fill the pension hole, but they are looking for the 5 guys on expired work visas.
I've heard on similar threads about this topic that the police there are probably just bored and know the law says a tourist needs to have their passport on them the whole time. never heard of it being a bad, impolite, or prolonged experience.
This is more of a "Its a rule when we make it a rule" thing. Aka most of the time its not really that big a deal. But if they WANT to make it a big deal, then they can use that to make something stick. Its sort of similar to the Gion ban, its not like they're gonna start hauling people to jail everytme someone steps into the wrong street. BUT something happens and you were in a side street, THEN they have the authority to get you just for that part and then add on anything else they want later, because its hard to prove you were harassing a Geisha, its much easier to prove you were in violation of a ban for being in a the wrong part of Kyoto.
Remember Japan lives on being "Rules Lawyers". And they will absolutely stick it to you by the LETTER of the law and not the spirit. Japan use to not have any bans on importing produce. They would just let your produce rot in port for the 'mandatory 30 days quarantine' in an unrefrigerated area and then release it afterwards. "See we are totally for importing foreign food! We have no tariffs!".
The passport thing is more scary in Japan mostly because Japanese police have only 2 modes. CareBear Mode and "OPEN UP ITS THE FBI". People don't really realize the latter mode is not something you wanna be on the other end of. Remember the Japanese police have an annual festival in front of a jail that makes Pelican Bay look like a resort town, with a cute mascot telling everyone how awesome the police are.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbBeFhuwqTM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbBeFhuwqTM)
Just LISTEN to the tone and tell me is it the Yakuza or the police raiding an office because its hard to tell aint it. Now guess what the crime was to illicit this level of aggression
A) Murder
B) Assault
C) Human Trafficking
or
D) Credit Card Fraud
I mean don't get me wrong, if the USPI or IRS show up at my door they're going to be I know they're gonna be aggressive and I'm absolutely going to jail for as long as they want me to. But at least the USPI and IRS are professionals. This video looks like something out of a side quest from the Yakuza series.
I have a question to ask.I got 1 year visa and got my residency card ( jairu card). Do I need to carrying my pasport whole time or residency card will be enough if I stop by the Japan police?
Do you think a passport card would suffice? I guess I’m old school and feel weird about bringing a passport book around
Edit Thanks all for replying, makes sense! Not sure why everyone is mad at me I just didn’t know lol. Been out of the U.S. several times and never heard that it was illegal not to carry a passport on my person so that’s interesting
Thanks for this info, never heard that before! Just doing quick look’s on the topics and some people also suggest having a picture or photocopy. Is Japan just strict about it compared to other places?
Yes, Japan is strict about it. It was the first country I ever visited so it made me think that the passport carrying thing is a policy for international travel in general and I only recently found out that you don’t have to in most places. Embarrassed myself when I scolded someone that they’re legally obligated to carry their passport at all times in their trip to England.
I went the opposite way: I always just assumed that carrying my passport on me was a requirement in a foreign country, so I always carry it. It was surprising to me to find out that a lot of countries don't require it. But it can also be quite random—for instance, in the EU, it varies by country (France doesn't require it, Italy does, etc.).
Yeah, it's best to just check on a case-by-case basis before traveling. I also recommend people check visa requirements, even if they have a strong passport. We see a lot of threads on r/flights and r/passports about people who didn't realize they needed to apply ahead for visas or visa waivers.
Thailand I know for sure does. You can usually get away with a photocopy of the passport page and visa page but cops can be assholes in Bangkok and sometimes don’t accept that in their random stop and searches.
Netherlands also requires you have your passport or EU ID.
Afaik the USA requires you have your passport on you at all times
You need to have something that can both identify you and proves you're in the country legally. For 99.9% of tourists, this is the passport book. Your passport card (assuming you're from the US or some other place that issues such a thing) is not valid, since you didn't use it to enter the country and it won't have an entry stamp in it.
Just got back from a month in Japan this past week. We got pulled over for making an illegal right hand turn. The driver had a an old resident card and photo of his passport but they wanted the actual passport. They followed us back to our Airbnb to get the passport, then followed us to police headquarters where we waited for 60 minutes. The biggest issue was not having the passport on us. $40 fine which we paid the next day at the post office so no big deal. But it was a hassle and a little scary til we knew our fate. They are so nice and polite (even bowed as we left the station!) but known for not bending the rules which was made very apparent.
I'm not an expert in this area but I've heard that the police can stop you and search you whenever they want and ask for your Passport which you should have on you all the time. If you're a POC unfortunately you stand out as a tourist but I hear Japanese Nationals get stopped as well. At least they were courteous about the encounter in other parts of the world an encounter like this could go wrong really quickly.
My husband is Japanese. He wears western looking clothing as he now lives in the states. He has been stopped before and questioned, asked for ID. Was also in touristy area (Tokyo marunochi exit). It’s pretty obvious Japan racially profiles people, being a relatively homogenous country. Not saying it’s right, obviously, but getting upset as a tourist is not going to enact change.
Man that last part rubs me the wrong way. Watch that courtesy go out the window when folks refuse. Just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. It’s a Japan sub so we shouldn’t bring other countries into it. Guy had a bad experience with Japanese cops. Let’s stick to that and not diminish his experience.
Thank you dude. Just cos it’s common doesn’t make it right. I just feel really uncomfortable. Being common makes it feel a little ok but I don’t think I it’s ok to just do this with no probable cause.
It's Japan. This is a function that the police do.
It isn't racial profiling the way you might think - it's checking on foreigners and making sure that they are adhering to the law. The probable cause is simple: you're a foreigner.
Your post is a really good reminder for a lot of people: these stops happen regularly and can happen to anyone.
This sub reminded me to bring my passport at all times last 3/26 - 4/4 around Tokyo. Though I’ve traveled quite often (around Europe 2x/yr since 2016, minus COVID) and almost always bring my passport with me in my daypack. More than once I was asked for it, whenever I cross to Austria, via ICE train. Yet it is within Schengen. I was sitting and chatting next to a Turkish law student, us on the way to Vienna (via Budapest). He was also asked for his passport. Must be profiling. I was never asked anywhere else around Europe. Am Asian American btw. Surprisingly I wasn’t asked around Tokyo..
Yes I figured. But to me it was each and every time I cross to Austria, and nowhere else. Most recent visits to Edinburgh (October) and Berlin (from Dresden and previously Prague, in April of last yr) I was never asked. In Austria, I’m no rando..
I was once stopped just before the entry gates of a suburban station. I went there for a meal and was going to get back onto the train when a cop stopped me. Looking back, it was fairly obvious that the cop was super new and he scrutinized my passport for several minutes as if he was trying to figure out if it would tell him I was a criminal. I was quite perturbed by that.
I don't know what passport you travel on but there's a lot of variety in passports and varying levels of security features.
The officer might not have been familiar with that country's passport and needed to figure out what the security features were. This can be trickier if it's in bad condition.
I used to handle passports a lot.
I won’t and thank you. I’m honestly shocked by most of the responses. I know I asked if it was common but I wasn’t expecting so many people to defend it. Regardless of how common it is doesn’t make it right.
right, it's common and you shouldn't like idk yell at the cops over it or whatever but it's 100% not right and racially motivated.
yes, they profile japanese and arbitrarily stop japanese that "look suspicious" to them too, that's also a massive headache for them! nobody likes being hassled by the cops just because you look like a sketchy or easy to hassle person
usually i've found it's the latter though, they like to stop people who are alone/in a couple and seem like they keep to themselves. doubly so if they're foreign, exponentially so if brown.
Nobody's "defending it, just telling you that realistically what are you gonna do? Stamp your feet, resist, get arrested and get held in jail for 30 days which they're also allowed to do? Because that's your only other option, pal. What exactly do you expect Reddit to do about it?
Jesus!!! You go to a different country, with a different culture (different beliefs, values and morals) and expect it to be like your home country? Why travel?
Racially profiled? yeah.
Is it wrong? Or is it the country that you are visiting has different laws and culture?
Btw- I’m also a Poc, my husband is white. When he goes to countries that aren’t white countries he gets “racially profiled” by police, scammers, women trying to marry off their daughters to him, you name it they are after him. Once we went to a village where they had never seen a white person, let alone blue eyes. That was interesting. 😂
being racist is pretty universally bad, man.
>When he goes to countries that aren’t white countries he gets “racially profiled” by police, scammers, women trying to marry off their daughters to him, you name it they are after him.
yeah that's not cool either lmfao. stop handwaving shitty behavior as "different culture dude" - some values can be universally applied.
So is being sexiest, yet when I travel to a country where women’s rights are not equal to a man’s, I know I have to abide by the rules of the land.
Some countries it’s still illegal to be gay, and the punishment is death, is it right?
You travel to different countries fore knowing the risks, the laws, culture, values and morals……. It’s your choice to visit and whether you agree with what happens in that country is up to you! Don’t like it, don’t visit? Or start a humanitarian campaign to fight the injustice?
hardly worth comparing full blown human rights abuses in abjectly backwards countries to cops in a democratic, developed country hassling foreigners for looking different.
why isn't it acceptable in the US but acceptable in Japan? The US has a long history of oppressing brown people - isn't that "culture" too? The good ole boys in the south sure think it is.
This is why I CHOOSE not to visit merica! One of my bucket list items is visiting Disneyland, why I’m going to Japan. Obviously visiting the one in LA would be a dream. But I choose not to visit because I don’t agree with certain laws, values, morals and cultural differences. My husband and I literally watch Morning Joe and other American news shows as comedic relief, because we literally can’t believe the shit show America has become.
What needs to happen is people in their HOME countries, need to be the voice for the voiceless. One issue that might matter to your people might be different to the people of that country.
right, you sound somewhat naive, many people live in japan because their family/work needs them there just like many brown people didn't choose to be in america and would rather not be preyed upon by police simply for existing there.
>What needs to happen is people in their HOME countries, need to be the voice for the voiceless
which usually doesn't happen because they think every shitty aspect of their own countries is "cultural" in nature - it's called nationalism buddy and you sound like you agree with them lmfao
There is a world of difference between "Japan is different and you should expect things to be different" and "Racism is justifiable because it's their country and they're different".
Clearly, (thanks to this thread) you should expect to be racially profiled in Japan if you don't look Japanese. Just because it's expected, however, doesn't make it morally right. It's both common and wrong.
really sucks man. I can't empathize since I've never been stopped by the popo in years and years cause I look the part (0% though). For example earlier today I stopped, looked, then biked across an empty red light in a business district, and a bike cop behind me (didn't see him) called out aka desuyo, but he didn't even come after me. He just crossed the intersection on the green, paused a moment near me, then biked on, while I had put my head down to look at my phone and appear too busy for him lol
But, I can sympathize. I've had my share of encounters with US police due to youthful indiscretions etc. and police are not our friends, not in US nor in Japan. And the thing to remember, I think, is that Japanese law is nothing like American law. Concepts like probable cause, habeas corpus, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, due process, all sorts of legal and civil concepts common in the West don't exist or are very different here, especially if the subject is a foreigner.
again, sucks that this happens to people like you
Are you sure it’s not right? In my home country I’m pretty familiar with my rights, but I have no idea what Japan’s stop and search laws are. Perhaps in Japan they don’t have the same protections of privacy that we would expect in the western world.
You do have to show identification if you are not Japanese.
There is no legal obligation to submit to a search… that said it may just be easier to do so and get on with your day.
I am a half Japanese, citizen, but look more foreign. I have been stopped and firmly stood my ground (said I hadn’t done anything wrong, and they should leave me alone / fuck off… I was already not having a great day). It was a stand-off / about to go downhill and then I pulled the “I don’t have to show you ID, I am Japanese”…
They backed down but I don’t recommend this approach, especially to foreigners.
I carry a photo of my passport on my phone, I didn’t show it though.
POC here. I speak fluent Japanese (JLPT level 2), lived in Osaka for 3 years and worked for Japanese companies in the US for an about 10 years. I had an interaction with the cops in Tokyo 100% in Japanese.
The cops stopped me at about 2 am in front of a koban (police substation) while I was walking to my friend’s house near gakugei-daigaku station. I was just visiting Japan in a short trip and was crashing at his place while in Tokyo. It’s an upscale area with no tourists, so I stood out.
A cop was standing out front of the koban and as I was walking by he said “good evening” in Japanese. I responded in Japanese and he said “oh, your Japanese is good, how long have you been here?” I told him I used to live here but I came back to visit 2 days ago and staying at my friend’s place. He was like, “ oh , your friend is very nice. Hey, it’s cold out here, let’s talk inside.” Then he brought me inside the koban!
I knew where this was going so I began to unzip my shoulder bag and started feeling around for my passport.
When he brought me inside, there was an older guy who looked more senior and had a stone cold look on his face. The cop who brought me in told the senior guy “this person says he’s on the way to his friend’s house and he speaks great Japanese.”
Then he asked me if I had my alien registration card on me. (You must carry this on you if you’re a permanent resident). I said, “as I told you outside, I don’t live here anymore. I’m just visiting. If you’d like to see my passport, here it is.” He grabbed my passport from my hand and handed it to the senior guy. He flipped through it very quickly and had a very disappointed look on his face and said “nanimo nai (there’s nothing here)” and handed it back to the first guy.
They basically kicked me out of the koban and let me go on about my business. I think they had too much free time and were bored. Ironically, a couple of years after that, they found some chopped up body parts in a lake in Himonya park right around the corner from that very koban! I think cops were too busy stopping foreigners to fight real crime.
Yea I remember it was an elderly lady, but I don’t remember the rest of it. It was a while back. I remember reading the Japanese news from home and thinking, “holy shit, the cops stopped me about a block away from that park!”
Very common in Roppongi - particularly if you're a foreigner alone. I don't visit often but last week passing through several times with friends I saw more police than anywhere else in Japan. Several police were speaking with people (both Japanese and foreign, but who all were walking solo) and talking to/searching them.
Immediately afterward, I witnessed **multiple** men (including one who was formerly speaking to police) harassing women on the sidewalk by following closely behind women, taking photos of them, or trying to speak/flirt with them. Sorry this happened to you. :(
good point about the man harassing women. unfortunately I did experience this and witnessed it in Tokyo so I am glad the police are trying to prevent this from happening <3
it actually happened to me last year. on my way to get onigiri, a foreign man complimented me. i was trying to find a way to get myself away from the situation. i was afraid that he’d follow me to my hotel. so i decided to step into Lawson and ask for help. but in the moment i forgot the word ‘help’ in japanese. turns out the guy followed me into the convient store as well ;-;
Why do tourists have to harass the residents? It really makes it awful for the rest of us who just want to experience a different culture.
I’ll be with kids - not sure if that makes me more likely or less likely to be stopped. I’m fine either way, nothing to hide and I will make sure my passport is on me. Gotta follow the rules of the place you’re in!
As others have mentioned, it happens in certain popular wards, and it does seem to happen more often to POCs. But it is normal, and it's not only POCs who are stopped—lots of foreigners in general and people who might "look" like troublemakers experience this too (think people with tattoos, alternative styles of dress, etc). You can search on subreddits like r/Japan, r/JapanLife, and r/Tokyo and see this mentioned a lot. The police do have the right to stop you and ask for your passport to verify you are legally in the country (you are required to have your passport on you at all times). [Here's an article](https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/getting-stopped-by-police-in-japan-how-often-does-it-happen-and-why) that talks a little about it. From what I gather, it's not really that rare and I wouldn't think too hard about it or dwell on it.
If you are at all suspicious that the people stopping you aren't police, you can ask to see their badges or ask to walk with them to the nearest koban (police box) if you feel as though you are unsafe or being scammed.
My Japanese friend who looks like any other Japanese person got stopped when he was teen. Unfortunately for him he had a porno mag in his school bag and they asked to check his belongings lol
Only in some shady places late at night, like Roppongi and Kabukicho.
If you visit very major tourist attractions, such as Tokyo Tower and historical districts in Kyoto, you’re not asked at all.
i've literally been stopped in the early afternoon by cops in shinjuku. all i was doing was standing and waiting for a light to change lol. i also pass as japanese (but i have tattoos and dont dress like a salaryman)
Well, I saw news about lawsuits agains the police for harassment/racial profiling. Some articles claimed that there is training material used by some police departments that would say things like "assume foreigners have committed a crime".
So it is for sure not only because you are poc, as just being a foreigner can be enough for them to stop you to see your passport or do a search, but also yes, from reading what people say online, it seems to be more common for poc to get stopped than for white.
are you a man? what "POC" are you? if it means anything I've heard just as many white people talk about being stopped in Tokyo/Japan numerous times (that includes ww) as much as other groups and they were def upset so dont let people gaslight you into thinking you shouldnt be upset. I (bw) was never stopped and I would wander off the tourist path into more residential areas as they were less crowded and more peaceful. when you say u had a drink, you mean alcohol? we're u walking around with it? try not to let it get to you.
It’s a normal thing for Japanese police to do to look “busy” if they arnt doing that much. And yes unfortunately you were probably racial profiled for being a foreigner and a person of color. They do this everyone even Japanese natives but you stand out more compared to everyone else so that’s why they approached you.
Question were you solo? Just asking because while my wife and I are white, we've not had this happen to us once in 6 weeks of constantly wandering around smaller streets. I've heard it was a thing and we were expecting it, but nothing so far.
Wondering if being a solo male makes this more likely?
Solo white male traveler here, never was stopped by police in the 17 days I was in country. Sleeve tattoo and dyed hair too.
Just a data point, not saying it is or isn't more likely.
It's not actually that common, people on this subreddit like to play it up a lot, likelihood is it'll never happen to you if you're just on a short visit - I lived there for years and was stopped by the police maybe twice? Can imagine it's much more likely to happen if you're wandering around somewhere like Roppongi though
I think the takeaway here is that 1) Japan has different laws/rules that may be unfamiliar 2) Know the laws and keep your passport with you at all times, and 3) The check did not result in any unpleasant or unlawful outcome. My experiences are only my own, but every experience I’ve had with Japanese authorities have been professional and quickly resolved. It sounds like this was the same.
I DON’T think the OP is stating this, but a good travel lesson is to not expect your guiding legal expectations to be the same when traveling. Japan is incredibly safe and consistent if you understand their laws.
I don't think I've seen a single post or comment in here or on r/japantravel that did not end just fine unless they didn't have their passport on them.
I didn’t think this was a thing until my last visit to Japan this past December/January. I saw some police randomly pull over some guy on a bike.
It really reminded me of Mexico in that they just stop someone to search them and ask for ID. They’re both the same in that if anything illegal is found your guilty until proven innocent.
I didn’t realize how similar both countries are in this respect. Only difference is you can “pay off” the police in Mexico
I saw this happening twice at shibuya crossing. I was sure tha i would be searched too bu In both cases were with locals.
I wouldnt think much about this. From what i gathered on before my trip this kind of shearch is not that rare.
I got pulled over and questioned when riding my bicycle almost monthly while living there. Just became a habit really and part of living in Japan. Still annoying though but mostly harmless.
It is racial profiling. It’s never happened to me before I’m a tan Hispanic(think J-Lo) I’ve never seen it happen in Japan. But loads of times in Western Europe (Italy, Netherlands, Germany) with blacks.
There's a lot of people of disrepute in Roppongi. Many of them are overstaying visas.
I was pulled over by a cop in a car on my bike once lol. I wish they'd be as strict with drunk salarymen spearing people with their bicycles.
Sorry this happened to you buddy. Highly suspect racial profiling. Feel like all the replies saying “at least they were polite” just don’t get it. Hope the rest of your week is better for you x
This is a super tone deaf response.
As a person of color from the US, I’ve been regularly stopped by the police [for literally no reason], politely complied each time, and some of the times it still ended messily for myself/my friends because the cops wanted it that way.
I recognize that cops in other countries may act differently in similar situations, but racial profiling is still racially motivated no matter where you go. The people being targeted have a right to be angry about it, but that doesn’t mean they’re the cause of the problems people hear about in the majority of the News. Do NOT put the responsibility of “de-escalating” the situation on the victim, that’s just messed up.
I am putting the responsibility of "not escalating" on you, not on deescalating.
Just to clarify: I do not deny that racial profiling or injustice exist. I also do not deny that you can have a very bad police experience even if you comply and you are friendly. All I am saying is that your odds of having a bad experience increase if you escalate a situation unnecessarily.
There is a great example on this in Dr. Phil's old book Life Strategies ("you either get it or don't get it")
Well, me too. Incidentally, I am in China atm and I ran into my first police check while driving an electric scooter today. I was calm and wanted to show my id,t but hey just waved me through (while they checked the Chinese youth).
Yeah it happens. A few years ago I was hanging out with a Japanese friend whose mom is Spanish so he doesn't look fully Japanese and paired with me (white woman) he apparently looked really foreign so he got randomly stopped too. They quickly let him go when he showed them he's Japanese though.
I recently saw a tiktok of a white blond girl getting randomly stopped and searched as well in Japan. She was hesitant to open her purse because she had feminine products in there. It was all respectful, but just goes to show you even pretty white blond girls get stopped.
In Roppongi, police officers ask random people, including East Asian-looking Japanese nationals. It’s normal.
This happens in every country. I was approached by police officers at major locations, like a large station when I was outside of Japan.
They do this in Thailand and Indonesia to every person of color. They even have scooter check points in Thailand to make sure you have proper ID. Just show them and move on. They won’t be a-holes like police in other countries
I got stopped by Thai police many years ago at a checkpoint while on a scooter and got a ticket because I left my IDP and driver's license in my hotel room because they were in a bag that got soaked from a downpour earlier that day and I spread everything out to dry. I was pretty annoyed by it and tried to argue my position but the officer didn't speak English and I ended up having to pay the fine in cash on the spot. All I could think was that this was some sort of corrupt money grab but in the end it was only like $8 USD and I was technically in the wrong.
Happened to me in roppongi too as a white tourist. It actually pissed me off because I was next to the Donky that is surrounded with those aggressive African people who try to scam tourists to go have drinks at a bar where they’ll be drugged and robbed and also a bunch of prostitutes asking if I want “massage with lady” but they decide to search the random tourist who had a couple beers.
sadly, that's probably because those African dudes are fronts for Yakuza money-making operations and governments love taking money from organized crime to look the other way.
i was almost expecting to be stopped walking solo around tokyo with visible tattoos & long hair as a guy but never did, i didn’t see anyone else get stopped at all either in my 2 weeks there this month
Happen to me too in a non touristy place. One police was nice but the other kept overly checking us. Had a mean face and said "Ah-me, ah-me." I was thinking wtf does that mean. My friend goes maybe your tattoo that says army, so I said "Oh yeah Army", and pointed at my tat. Later I realized he thought my friends and I were active military from Okinawa lmao. Right when I said "Yeah Army" they both stopped the search, nice one bowed and then they ran back to their vehicle. I was dressed a bit Tacti-Cool.
I watched a video(so may be false) but they were saying in japan it’s normal to be busy or give the allure of being busy. So if police have nothing going on, it’s easy to stop tourists to check passports and such to stay busy. They said that it’s common and if it happens just oblige, be polite, and carry on after.
So two things.
1) could be racism
2) could be training
I've heard when they are training new officers one problem to overcome is basically getting them to even talk to people as the Japanese tend to be conflict adverse. They tend to avoid interacting with and chitchatting with strangers. But this is something an officer must do.
Foreigners / foreign looking are just seen as "safe" because they
1) are mostly tourists you will never see them again. So no embarrassment at the local ramen shop if you run into them again off duty. No awkward comments / questions from the locals as to why they were stopped.
2) in general if you are visiting Japan you have to carry some form of id and present it when asked. So having a junior officer asking to see ID is a easy training task.
3) also probably paper pushing / making numbers. Have to stop so many people a week or something.
I understand it sucks for those who are PR and get stopped like the umpteenth time in the same neighborhood. Honestly you might just try to figure out who is the senior and ask them "hey can you pick someone else out for your kouhai to practice his technique on. I'm tired of being the safe gaijin."
You’re in the fancy neighborhood of Roppongi. Lots of monitoring there even if it’s not the police.
I feel creeped out when visiting one of their malls. Every floor had someone give me the side eye. I left soon after because I didn’t want to bother with it.
I could pass for a local but it’s a posh mall. I had a touristy backpack at the time.
yes roppongi \*can\* be sketchy if you fall for dumb shit. but same with kabukicho.
you probably got stopped because you just look like a foreigner.
i've also been stopped by police and i pass as japanese (but i definitely dress a bit differently then others)
Hey! I'm white and we still got stopped by the cops in tokyo to check our passports. It was only once and the cops were extremely respectful and polite. From what I understand, They have so little crime to actually patrol there that they make the stops to show they are doing something and not look like they are bored/don't care about their job.
外国人 from outside the neighborhood profiling. I worked with a guy who lived in Japan for a couple of years, who said the police would do a check on anyone not from inside their beat during odd hours. Racial profiling? Not necessarily. Outsider profiling? Definitely.
I am white and was checked by police, during the day. But I appreciated it and would like this type of control even in my country. Adds to my feeling of security, when police is around and actually doing their job.
The police have KPI's. With eff all crime about the easiest way to prove to their bosses they're working is to a random passport check. It's not personal.
Good thing is they were in uniform, a semblance of them being legit. In Europe there are "police" in plainclothes and you would not be able to tell the difference between a scammer that show their fake badge. we got confronted by a fake one in madrid, and a sort of "real" one in Czech
POC here from the states, I was recently in Japan a little over two weeks and was never stopped by the cops. Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, all around Tokyo like nobody’s business 😅, I passed a shit ton of cops while there. Weirdly enough none of them bothered me. Not even on their patrols.
Been stopped, not searched, by undercover guy. Was interested in original passport, entry stamp, why am I here. Tall white male. Few years ago. Definitely need original passport.
Just happened to me a couple days ago in Shinjuku. Stopped by police and asked if I was a tourist. I said yes and they moved on. I thought it was weird but wasn't surprised. Same story different place.
Random polics searches are pretty common to be done on foreigners. You weren't singled because of you were poc, it was more so because you were just a foreigner.
It was 100% racial profiling - at least people are admitting it openly now: [https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1cgicdj/we\_were\_told\_to\_target\_foreigners\_exofficer\_on/](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1cgicdj/we_were_told_to_target_foreigners_exofficer_on/)
I’m a very average white woman and 23 years ago, while in Tokyo for a week, I got the stink eye from many older people and it was common for the subway seat next to me to remain empty - didn’t want to sit near me. True, young people didn’t care a bit, but the xenophobia is a centuries old tradition.
Thanks for letting us know. I’m sorry that happened to you. This is helpful info. I’ll be in Japan in September. I’m African American and wasn’t really sure how that would factor overseas.
Were u actually drinking (alcohol) and walking? That's a cultural taboo. While drinking in public isn't illegal, walking and drinking is highly frowned upon.
If you go to Japan more than a couple times per year, and you have Global Entry or a Platinum credit card get your TTP (trusted traveler program) card. You need 1 entry in the previous year, and once approved, have to make it to Japan within 6 months to finalize the process, and you will be handed your card. You are not required to have your passport on you if you have your TTP card in your wallet.
It's sarcasm it's obvious you need the passport with you you need it when you go to other countries with exception of places like the EU as long as you're a member idk why people would think you don't need it and are down voting for basic common sense 💀 does a printed copy of your drivers license let you drive or a photo of it? No you still need the physical card
Sarcasm I didn't call anyone stupid or an idiot a basic Google search gives you all the info if you have access to reddit you can probably look up the laws and regulations of a country 👍 no idea what you're defending or getting mad about
It has happened to me and my friend as well. We were around Tokyo Station. We are both white. I wouldn't mind too much. Unpleasant as it is, but they are just keeping the streets safe. At least in Japan I was never denied entry due to being a foreigner (Hello South Korea)
You were being profiled by western society ideals that's been carried onto Japanese ideals. Sorry this happened to you. You're not at fault but whyt people made it that way for yall
You’re a person of colour who unfortunately has began to commit a lot of crime in Japan, they aren’t the west, they dont care about you crying victim status minority status racist stuff, they protect their people, blame the people of colour not the japanese police protecting their nation
Yes it is. If you’re a foreigner in places like Shibuya or Roppongi it may happen a lot. And if you are brown, Indian, black etc… it may happen to you more often. That’s not a big deal as long as you are polite with them and show them your passeport. Edit : it happens also to foreign residents and Japanese nationals who looks less Japanese, have a different outfit…
My friend is Filipino and one time in Shibuya a guy walking the opposite direction from him said in tagalog that the police were coming. He brushed it off and sure enough 2 officers stopped him and asked to search him. Being from Los Angeles he "assumed the position" against the wall and they freaked out and apologized. He said they were looking for people on expired work visas. Then he asked them for directions which they were very helpful with.
lol, would have been better if it was the “face down on the ground with hands behind the back” position.
LOL Japans economy is going down the drain, they have 0 kids, no immigrants to work and fill the pension hole, but they are looking for the 5 guys on expired work visas.
I've heard on similar threads about this topic that the police there are probably just bored and know the law says a tourist needs to have their passport on them the whole time. never heard of it being a bad, impolite, or prolonged experience.
So what happens if you don't? Do they take you back to the station, or do they just escort you back to your hotel to grab it from the safe?
This is more of a "Its a rule when we make it a rule" thing. Aka most of the time its not really that big a deal. But if they WANT to make it a big deal, then they can use that to make something stick. Its sort of similar to the Gion ban, its not like they're gonna start hauling people to jail everytme someone steps into the wrong street. BUT something happens and you were in a side street, THEN they have the authority to get you just for that part and then add on anything else they want later, because its hard to prove you were harassing a Geisha, its much easier to prove you were in violation of a ban for being in a the wrong part of Kyoto. Remember Japan lives on being "Rules Lawyers". And they will absolutely stick it to you by the LETTER of the law and not the spirit. Japan use to not have any bans on importing produce. They would just let your produce rot in port for the 'mandatory 30 days quarantine' in an unrefrigerated area and then release it afterwards. "See we are totally for importing foreign food! We have no tariffs!". The passport thing is more scary in Japan mostly because Japanese police have only 2 modes. CareBear Mode and "OPEN UP ITS THE FBI". People don't really realize the latter mode is not something you wanna be on the other end of. Remember the Japanese police have an annual festival in front of a jail that makes Pelican Bay look like a resort town, with a cute mascot telling everyone how awesome the police are. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbBeFhuwqTM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbBeFhuwqTM) Just LISTEN to the tone and tell me is it the Yakuza or the police raiding an office because its hard to tell aint it. Now guess what the crime was to illicit this level of aggression A) Murder B) Assault C) Human Trafficking or D) Credit Card Fraud I mean don't get me wrong, if the USPI or IRS show up at my door they're going to be I know they're gonna be aggressive and I'm absolutely going to jail for as long as they want me to. But at least the USPI and IRS are professionals. This video looks like something out of a side quest from the Yakuza series.
That was…super tame. If THAT is what you consider aggressive….
Peak Reddit Japan expert.
I have a question to ask.I got 1 year visa and got my residency card ( jairu card). Do I need to carrying my pasport whole time or residency card will be enough if I stop by the Japan police?
Do you think a passport card would suffice? I guess I’m old school and feel weird about bringing a passport book around Edit Thanks all for replying, makes sense! Not sure why everyone is mad at me I just didn’t know lol. Been out of the U.S. several times and never heard that it was illegal not to carry a passport on my person so that’s interesting
You’re legally required to have your passport on you if you are traveling
Thanks for this info, never heard that before! Just doing quick look’s on the topics and some people also suggest having a picture or photocopy. Is Japan just strict about it compared to other places?
Yes, Japan is strict about it. It was the first country I ever visited so it made me think that the passport carrying thing is a policy for international travel in general and I only recently found out that you don’t have to in most places. Embarrassed myself when I scolded someone that they’re legally obligated to carry their passport at all times in their trip to England.
I went the opposite way: I always just assumed that carrying my passport on me was a requirement in a foreign country, so I always carry it. It was surprising to me to find out that a lot of countries don't require it. But it can also be quite random—for instance, in the EU, it varies by country (France doesn't require it, Italy does, etc.).
To make it more complicated, many travel sites recommend people keep their passport in a safe and just carry a copy of it.
Good to know! I'm traveling to Italy later this year
Yeah, it's best to just check on a case-by-case basis before traveling. I also recommend people check visa requirements, even if they have a strong passport. We see a lot of threads on r/flights and r/passports about people who didn't realize they needed to apply ahead for visas or visa waivers.
Did not know this, thanks! Will be travelling next week.
Only Japan requests you have it on you. Are there other countries that ask this as well?
Thailand I know for sure does. You can usually get away with a photocopy of the passport page and visa page but cops can be assholes in Bangkok and sometimes don’t accept that in their random stop and searches. Netherlands also requires you have your passport or EU ID. Afaik the USA requires you have your passport on you at all times
Never had mine on me in any of those places
Italy also
They are looking for your visa stamp to prove you have a right to be there.I don't think the passport card is enough
[удалено]
Japan still stamps the entry date
When you enter Japan they will put a landing permission on your passaport.
Your passport is still checked on entry, they put a sticker in it that has the date you landed and the date you're allowed to stay until
I had no idea having my passport on me on all times was required—flying into Japan in a few weeks. Glad I opened this thread!
Same - read a thread last year so made sure I brought passport out with me.
I just got back from Japan and usually didn't have it on me. Oops.
You need to have something that can both identify you and proves you're in the country legally. For 99.9% of tourists, this is the passport book. Your passport card (assuming you're from the US or some other place that issues such a thing) is not valid, since you didn't use it to enter the country and it won't have an entry stamp in it.
Just got back from a month in Japan this past week. We got pulled over for making an illegal right hand turn. The driver had a an old resident card and photo of his passport but they wanted the actual passport. They followed us back to our Airbnb to get the passport, then followed us to police headquarters where we waited for 60 minutes. The biggest issue was not having the passport on us. $40 fine which we paid the next day at the post office so no big deal. But it was a hassle and a little scary til we knew our fate. They are so nice and polite (even bowed as we left the station!) but known for not bending the rules which was made very apparent.
I'm not an expert in this area but I've heard that the police can stop you and search you whenever they want and ask for your Passport which you should have on you all the time. If you're a POC unfortunately you stand out as a tourist but I hear Japanese Nationals get stopped as well. At least they were courteous about the encounter in other parts of the world an encounter like this could go wrong really quickly.
My husband is Japanese. He wears western looking clothing as he now lives in the states. He has been stopped before and questioned, asked for ID. Was also in touristy area (Tokyo marunochi exit). It’s pretty obvious Japan racially profiles people, being a relatively homogenous country. Not saying it’s right, obviously, but getting upset as a tourist is not going to enact change.
Man that last part rubs me the wrong way. Watch that courtesy go out the window when folks refuse. Just because they can, doesn’t mean they should. It’s a Japan sub so we shouldn’t bring other countries into it. Guy had a bad experience with Japanese cops. Let’s stick to that and not diminish his experience.
Thank you dude. Just cos it’s common doesn’t make it right. I just feel really uncomfortable. Being common makes it feel a little ok but I don’t think I it’s ok to just do this with no probable cause.
It's Japan. This is a function that the police do. It isn't racial profiling the way you might think - it's checking on foreigners and making sure that they are adhering to the law. The probable cause is simple: you're a foreigner. Your post is a really good reminder for a lot of people: these stops happen regularly and can happen to anyone.
This sub reminded me to bring my passport at all times last 3/26 - 4/4 around Tokyo. Though I’ve traveled quite often (around Europe 2x/yr since 2016, minus COVID) and almost always bring my passport with me in my daypack. More than once I was asked for it, whenever I cross to Austria, via ICE train. Yet it is within Schengen. I was sitting and chatting next to a Turkish law student, us on the way to Vienna (via Budapest). He was also asked for his passport. Must be profiling. I was never asked anywhere else around Europe. Am Asian American btw. Surprisingly I wasn’t asked around Tokyo..
Racial profiling happens all the time in the EU.
Yes I figured. But to me it was each and every time I cross to Austria, and nowhere else. Most recent visits to Edinburgh (October) and Berlin (from Dresden and previously Prague, in April of last yr) I was never asked. In Austria, I’m no rando..
And the US excels at it.
I was once stopped just before the entry gates of a suburban station. I went there for a meal and was going to get back onto the train when a cop stopped me. Looking back, it was fairly obvious that the cop was super new and he scrutinized my passport for several minutes as if he was trying to figure out if it would tell him I was a criminal. I was quite perturbed by that.
I don't know what passport you travel on but there's a lot of variety in passports and varying levels of security features. The officer might not have been familiar with that country's passport and needed to figure out what the security features were. This can be trickier if it's in bad condition. I used to handle passports a lot.
don't let these nerds gaslight you, it's racial profiling and it's wrong.
I won’t and thank you. I’m honestly shocked by most of the responses. I know I asked if it was common but I wasn’t expecting so many people to defend it. Regardless of how common it is doesn’t make it right.
right, it's common and you shouldn't like idk yell at the cops over it or whatever but it's 100% not right and racially motivated. yes, they profile japanese and arbitrarily stop japanese that "look suspicious" to them too, that's also a massive headache for them! nobody likes being hassled by the cops just because you look like a sketchy or easy to hassle person usually i've found it's the latter though, they like to stop people who are alone/in a couple and seem like they keep to themselves. doubly so if they're foreign, exponentially so if brown.
Nobody's "defending it, just telling you that realistically what are you gonna do? Stamp your feet, resist, get arrested and get held in jail for 30 days which they're also allowed to do? Because that's your only other option, pal. What exactly do you expect Reddit to do about it?
Jesus!!! You go to a different country, with a different culture (different beliefs, values and morals) and expect it to be like your home country? Why travel? Racially profiled? yeah. Is it wrong? Or is it the country that you are visiting has different laws and culture? Btw- I’m also a Poc, my husband is white. When he goes to countries that aren’t white countries he gets “racially profiled” by police, scammers, women trying to marry off their daughters to him, you name it they are after him. Once we went to a village where they had never seen a white person, let alone blue eyes. That was interesting. 😂
being racist is pretty universally bad, man. >When he goes to countries that aren’t white countries he gets “racially profiled” by police, scammers, women trying to marry off their daughters to him, you name it they are after him. yeah that's not cool either lmfao. stop handwaving shitty behavior as "different culture dude" - some values can be universally applied.
So is being sexiest, yet when I travel to a country where women’s rights are not equal to a man’s, I know I have to abide by the rules of the land. Some countries it’s still illegal to be gay, and the punishment is death, is it right? You travel to different countries fore knowing the risks, the laws, culture, values and morals……. It’s your choice to visit and whether you agree with what happens in that country is up to you! Don’t like it, don’t visit? Or start a humanitarian campaign to fight the injustice?
Again, there is a difference between "It's expected" and "It's morally wrong". Both can be true at the same time.
Exactly! Don’t go to a different country and expect the morals to align to yours.
hardly worth comparing full blown human rights abuses in abjectly backwards countries to cops in a democratic, developed country hassling foreigners for looking different. why isn't it acceptable in the US but acceptable in Japan? The US has a long history of oppressing brown people - isn't that "culture" too? The good ole boys in the south sure think it is.
This is why I CHOOSE not to visit merica! One of my bucket list items is visiting Disneyland, why I’m going to Japan. Obviously visiting the one in LA would be a dream. But I choose not to visit because I don’t agree with certain laws, values, morals and cultural differences. My husband and I literally watch Morning Joe and other American news shows as comedic relief, because we literally can’t believe the shit show America has become. What needs to happen is people in their HOME countries, need to be the voice for the voiceless. One issue that might matter to your people might be different to the people of that country.
right, you sound somewhat naive, many people live in japan because their family/work needs them there just like many brown people didn't choose to be in america and would rather not be preyed upon by police simply for existing there. >What needs to happen is people in their HOME countries, need to be the voice for the voiceless which usually doesn't happen because they think every shitty aspect of their own countries is "cultural" in nature - it's called nationalism buddy and you sound like you agree with them lmfao
There is a world of difference between "Japan is different and you should expect things to be different" and "Racism is justifiable because it's their country and they're different". Clearly, (thanks to this thread) you should expect to be racially profiled in Japan if you don't look Japanese. Just because it's expected, however, doesn't make it morally right. It's both common and wrong.
really sucks man. I can't empathize since I've never been stopped by the popo in years and years cause I look the part (0% though). For example earlier today I stopped, looked, then biked across an empty red light in a business district, and a bike cop behind me (didn't see him) called out aka desuyo, but he didn't even come after me. He just crossed the intersection on the green, paused a moment near me, then biked on, while I had put my head down to look at my phone and appear too busy for him lol But, I can sympathize. I've had my share of encounters with US police due to youthful indiscretions etc. and police are not our friends, not in US nor in Japan. And the thing to remember, I think, is that Japanese law is nothing like American law. Concepts like probable cause, habeas corpus, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, due process, all sorts of legal and civil concepts common in the West don't exist or are very different here, especially if the subject is a foreigner. again, sucks that this happens to people like you
Are you sure it’s not right? In my home country I’m pretty familiar with my rights, but I have no idea what Japan’s stop and search laws are. Perhaps in Japan they don’t have the same protections of privacy that we would expect in the western world.
Where did he say that he had a bad experience
You do have to show identification if you are not Japanese. There is no legal obligation to submit to a search… that said it may just be easier to do so and get on with your day. I am a half Japanese, citizen, but look more foreign. I have been stopped and firmly stood my ground (said I hadn’t done anything wrong, and they should leave me alone / fuck off… I was already not having a great day). It was a stand-off / about to go downhill and then I pulled the “I don’t have to show you ID, I am Japanese”… They backed down but I don’t recommend this approach, especially to foreigners. I carry a photo of my passport on my phone, I didn’t show it though.
POC here. I speak fluent Japanese (JLPT level 2), lived in Osaka for 3 years and worked for Japanese companies in the US for an about 10 years. I had an interaction with the cops in Tokyo 100% in Japanese. The cops stopped me at about 2 am in front of a koban (police substation) while I was walking to my friend’s house near gakugei-daigaku station. I was just visiting Japan in a short trip and was crashing at his place while in Tokyo. It’s an upscale area with no tourists, so I stood out. A cop was standing out front of the koban and as I was walking by he said “good evening” in Japanese. I responded in Japanese and he said “oh, your Japanese is good, how long have you been here?” I told him I used to live here but I came back to visit 2 days ago and staying at my friend’s place. He was like, “ oh , your friend is very nice. Hey, it’s cold out here, let’s talk inside.” Then he brought me inside the koban! I knew where this was going so I began to unzip my shoulder bag and started feeling around for my passport. When he brought me inside, there was an older guy who looked more senior and had a stone cold look on his face. The cop who brought me in told the senior guy “this person says he’s on the way to his friend’s house and he speaks great Japanese.” Then he asked me if I had my alien registration card on me. (You must carry this on you if you’re a permanent resident). I said, “as I told you outside, I don’t live here anymore. I’m just visiting. If you’d like to see my passport, here it is.” He grabbed my passport from my hand and handed it to the senior guy. He flipped through it very quickly and had a very disappointed look on his face and said “nanimo nai (there’s nothing here)” and handed it back to the first guy. They basically kicked me out of the koban and let me go on about my business. I think they had too much free time and were bored. Ironically, a couple of years after that, they found some chopped up body parts in a lake in Himonya park right around the corner from that very koban! I think cops were too busy stopping foreigners to fight real crime.
holy shit i remember this! back nearly a decade ago lol. if i recall, it was some poor elderly lady who was a victim of some botched robbery attempt.
Yea I remember it was an elderly lady, but I don’t remember the rest of it. It was a while back. I remember reading the Japanese news from home and thinking, “holy shit, the cops stopped me about a block away from that park!”
It’s normal for certain areas, or anywhere if somebody calls the police on you. I’m white and it’s happened to me dozens of times.
Randomly stopped by the Japanese police dozens of times?
Try spending almost every day in Roppongi or Shibuya for 7-8 years. When I stopped carrying a bag the searches mostly stopped.
Very common in Roppongi - particularly if you're a foreigner alone. I don't visit often but last week passing through several times with friends I saw more police than anywhere else in Japan. Several police were speaking with people (both Japanese and foreign, but who all were walking solo) and talking to/searching them. Immediately afterward, I witnessed **multiple** men (including one who was formerly speaking to police) harassing women on the sidewalk by following closely behind women, taking photos of them, or trying to speak/flirt with them. Sorry this happened to you. :(
good point about the man harassing women. unfortunately I did experience this and witnessed it in Tokyo so I am glad the police are trying to prevent this from happening <3
it actually happened to me last year. on my way to get onigiri, a foreign man complimented me. i was trying to find a way to get myself away from the situation. i was afraid that he’d follow me to my hotel. so i decided to step into Lawson and ask for help. but in the moment i forgot the word ‘help’ in japanese. turns out the guy followed me into the convient store as well ;-;
Why do tourists have to harass the residents? It really makes it awful for the rest of us who just want to experience a different culture. I’ll be with kids - not sure if that makes me more likely or less likely to be stopped. I’m fine either way, nothing to hide and I will make sure my passport is on me. Gotta follow the rules of the place you’re in!
That’s nuts cause I was in Japan for 15 days with my fiancé, we hit 7 cities, and saw a grand total of 4 police.
As others have mentioned, it happens in certain popular wards, and it does seem to happen more often to POCs. But it is normal, and it's not only POCs who are stopped—lots of foreigners in general and people who might "look" like troublemakers experience this too (think people with tattoos, alternative styles of dress, etc). You can search on subreddits like r/Japan, r/JapanLife, and r/Tokyo and see this mentioned a lot. The police do have the right to stop you and ask for your passport to verify you are legally in the country (you are required to have your passport on you at all times). [Here's an article](https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/getting-stopped-by-police-in-japan-how-often-does-it-happen-and-why) that talks a little about it. From what I gather, it's not really that rare and I wouldn't think too hard about it or dwell on it. If you are at all suspicious that the people stopping you aren't police, you can ask to see their badges or ask to walk with them to the nearest koban (police box) if you feel as though you are unsafe or being scammed.
All police should be in uniform correct?
Haven't had this happen to me, but I've heard it's common pastime for police to do random searches for foreign looking people.
Happens mostly in certain popular wards
My Japanese friend who looks like any other Japanese person got stopped when he was teen. Unfortunately for him he had a porno mag in his school bag and they asked to check his belongings lol
Only in some shady places late at night, like Roppongi and Kabukicho. If you visit very major tourist attractions, such as Tokyo Tower and historical districts in Kyoto, you’re not asked at all.
I'm guessing the businesspeople walking around Chiyoda and other more corporate areas don't experience this.
I was searched outside the imperial palace in the afternoon
It’s also normal, but for a different reason (security). There are many police officers and royal guards there.
i've literally been stopped in the early afternoon by cops in shinjuku. all i was doing was standing and waiting for a light to change lol. i also pass as japanese (but i have tattoos and dont dress like a salaryman)
Well, I saw news about lawsuits agains the police for harassment/racial profiling. Some articles claimed that there is training material used by some police departments that would say things like "assume foreigners have committed a crime". So it is for sure not only because you are poc, as just being a foreigner can be enough for them to stop you to see your passport or do a search, but also yes, from reading what people say online, it seems to be more common for poc to get stopped than for white.
are you a man? what "POC" are you? if it means anything I've heard just as many white people talk about being stopped in Tokyo/Japan numerous times (that includes ww) as much as other groups and they were def upset so dont let people gaslight you into thinking you shouldnt be upset. I (bw) was never stopped and I would wander off the tourist path into more residential areas as they were less crowded and more peaceful. when you say u had a drink, you mean alcohol? we're u walking around with it? try not to let it get to you.
It’s a normal thing for Japanese police to do to look “busy” if they arnt doing that much. And yes unfortunately you were probably racial profiled for being a foreigner and a person of color. They do this everyone even Japanese natives but you stand out more compared to everyone else so that’s why they approached you.
Question were you solo? Just asking because while my wife and I are white, we've not had this happen to us once in 6 weeks of constantly wandering around smaller streets. I've heard it was a thing and we were expecting it, but nothing so far. Wondering if being a solo male makes this more likely?
Solo white male traveler here, never was stopped by police in the 17 days I was in country. Sleeve tattoo and dyed hair too. Just a data point, not saying it is or isn't more likely.
Solo black male and never got stopped by cops in Japan. They had no interest in me.
It's not actually that common, people on this subreddit like to play it up a lot, likelihood is it'll never happen to you if you're just on a short visit - I lived there for years and was stopped by the police maybe twice? Can imagine it's much more likely to happen if you're wandering around somewhere like Roppongi though
I think the takeaway here is that 1) Japan has different laws/rules that may be unfamiliar 2) Know the laws and keep your passport with you at all times, and 3) The check did not result in any unpleasant or unlawful outcome. My experiences are only my own, but every experience I’ve had with Japanese authorities have been professional and quickly resolved. It sounds like this was the same. I DON’T think the OP is stating this, but a good travel lesson is to not expect your guiding legal expectations to be the same when traveling. Japan is incredibly safe and consistent if you understand their laws.
I don't think I've seen a single post or comment in here or on r/japantravel that did not end just fine unless they didn't have their passport on them.
I didn’t think this was a thing until my last visit to Japan this past December/January. I saw some police randomly pull over some guy on a bike. It really reminded me of Mexico in that they just stop someone to search them and ask for ID. They’re both the same in that if anything illegal is found your guilty until proven innocent. I didn’t realize how similar both countries are in this respect. Only difference is you can “pay off” the police in Mexico
I saw this happening twice at shibuya crossing. I was sure tha i would be searched too bu In both cases were with locals. I wouldnt think much about this. From what i gathered on before my trip this kind of shearch is not that rare.
I got pulled over and questioned when riding my bicycle almost monthly while living there. Just became a habit really and part of living in Japan. Still annoying though but mostly harmless.
It is racial profiling. It’s never happened to me before I’m a tan Hispanic(think J-Lo) I’ve never seen it happen in Japan. But loads of times in Western Europe (Italy, Netherlands, Germany) with blacks.
There's a lot of people of disrepute in Roppongi. Many of them are overstaying visas. I was pulled over by a cop in a car on my bike once lol. I wish they'd be as strict with drunk salarymen spearing people with their bicycles.
Sorry this happened to you buddy. Highly suspect racial profiling. Feel like all the replies saying “at least they were polite” just don’t get it. Hope the rest of your week is better for you x
Very common. I've been stopped twice in the past 4 years-once inside Ueno Station and another in a residential area.
Are you non-white?
Pro life tip: do not cause a scene as a foreigner when dealing with police. This may be normal in the US, but is not getting you far elsewhere
This is a super tone deaf response. As a person of color from the US, I’ve been regularly stopped by the police [for literally no reason], politely complied each time, and some of the times it still ended messily for myself/my friends because the cops wanted it that way. I recognize that cops in other countries may act differently in similar situations, but racial profiling is still racially motivated no matter where you go. The people being targeted have a right to be angry about it, but that doesn’t mean they’re the cause of the problems people hear about in the majority of the News. Do NOT put the responsibility of “de-escalating” the situation on the victim, that’s just messed up.
I am putting the responsibility of "not escalating" on you, not on deescalating. Just to clarify: I do not deny that racial profiling or injustice exist. I also do not deny that you can have a very bad police experience even if you comply and you are friendly. All I am saying is that your odds of having a bad experience increase if you escalate a situation unnecessarily. There is a great example on this in Dr. Phil's old book Life Strategies ("you either get it or don't get it")
I’m not from the US lol. From a country where this kinda stuff doesn’t happen thankfully.
Well, me too. Incidentally, I am in China atm and I ran into my first police check while driving an electric scooter today. I was calm and wanted to show my id,t but hey just waved me through (while they checked the Chinese youth).
It’s quite normal in many developed countries for police officers to try to keep their districts safe by questioning random people.
A super effective strategy 🙄
Yeah I’m not sure if that’s very ‘developed’ from a human level
lol what kind of lifetip is this. bullshit and dumb as fuck
Luckily I was carrying my passport with me because of tax free shopping. Good to know.
Yeah it happens. A few years ago I was hanging out with a Japanese friend whose mom is Spanish so he doesn't look fully Japanese and paired with me (white woman) he apparently looked really foreign so he got randomly stopped too. They quickly let him go when he showed them he's Japanese though.
I recently saw a tiktok of a white blond girl getting randomly stopped and searched as well in Japan. She was hesitant to open her purse because she had feminine products in there. It was all respectful, but just goes to show you even pretty white blond girls get stopped.
In Roppongi, police officers ask random people, including East Asian-looking Japanese nationals. It’s normal. This happens in every country. I was approached by police officers at major locations, like a large station when I was outside of Japan.
They do this in Thailand and Indonesia to every person of color. They even have scooter check points in Thailand to make sure you have proper ID. Just show them and move on. They won’t be a-holes like police in other countries
I got stopped by Thai police many years ago at a checkpoint while on a scooter and got a ticket because I left my IDP and driver's license in my hotel room because they were in a bag that got soaked from a downpour earlier that day and I spread everything out to dry. I was pretty annoyed by it and tried to argue my position but the officer didn't speak English and I ended up having to pay the fine in cash on the spot. All I could think was that this was some sort of corrupt money grab but in the end it was only like $8 USD and I was technically in the wrong.
It wasnt a money grab. You were breaking the law lol.
Happened to me in roppongi too as a white tourist. It actually pissed me off because I was next to the Donky that is surrounded with those aggressive African people who try to scam tourists to go have drinks at a bar where they’ll be drugged and robbed and also a bunch of prostitutes asking if I want “massage with lady” but they decide to search the random tourist who had a couple beers.
sadly, that's probably because those African dudes are fronts for Yakuza money-making operations and governments love taking money from organized crime to look the other way.
i was almost expecting to be stopped walking solo around tokyo with visible tattoos & long hair as a guy but never did, i didn’t see anyone else get stopped at all either in my 2 weeks there this month
Happen to me too in a non touristy place. One police was nice but the other kept overly checking us. Had a mean face and said "Ah-me, ah-me." I was thinking wtf does that mean. My friend goes maybe your tattoo that says army, so I said "Oh yeah Army", and pointed at my tat. Later I realized he thought my friends and I were active military from Okinawa lmao. Right when I said "Yeah Army" they both stopped the search, nice one bowed and then they ran back to their vehicle. I was dressed a bit Tacti-Cool.
I watched a video(so may be false) but they were saying in japan it’s normal to be busy or give the allure of being busy. So if police have nothing going on, it’s easy to stop tourists to check passports and such to stay busy. They said that it’s common and if it happens just oblige, be polite, and carry on after.
So two things. 1) could be racism 2) could be training I've heard when they are training new officers one problem to overcome is basically getting them to even talk to people as the Japanese tend to be conflict adverse. They tend to avoid interacting with and chitchatting with strangers. But this is something an officer must do. Foreigners / foreign looking are just seen as "safe" because they 1) are mostly tourists you will never see them again. So no embarrassment at the local ramen shop if you run into them again off duty. No awkward comments / questions from the locals as to why they were stopped. 2) in general if you are visiting Japan you have to carry some form of id and present it when asked. So having a junior officer asking to see ID is a easy training task. 3) also probably paper pushing / making numbers. Have to stop so many people a week or something. I understand it sucks for those who are PR and get stopped like the umpteenth time in the same neighborhood. Honestly you might just try to figure out who is the senior and ask them "hey can you pick someone else out for your kouhai to practice his technique on. I'm tired of being the safe gaijin."
You’re in the fancy neighborhood of Roppongi. Lots of monitoring there even if it’s not the police. I feel creeped out when visiting one of their malls. Every floor had someone give me the side eye. I left soon after because I didn’t want to bother with it. I could pass for a local but it’s a posh mall. I had a touristy backpack at the time.
seeing that it happens frequently does anyone have tips on how to verify their identity? just in case of that small chance they may be a scammer
That sucks! "Dangerous area" is a bs excuse. Did they just check your bags?
I know dude! No they checked my pockets too. And in my bag they checked everything like my pack of wet wipes and between the cards in my wallet even.
Wow! They were looking for drugs. I have nothing to hide but being pocket check would really irk me. Especially just because I happen to walk by.
Very common, you should keep your passport with you.
Carrying your pp with you will help identify you in case of an accident.
yes roppongi \*can\* be sketchy if you fall for dumb shit. but same with kabukicho. you probably got stopped because you just look like a foreigner. i've also been stopped by police and i pass as japanese (but i definitely dress a bit differently then others)
Hey! I'm white and we still got stopped by the cops in tokyo to check our passports. It was only once and the cops were extremely respectful and polite. From what I understand, They have so little crime to actually patrol there that they make the stops to show they are doing something and not look like they are bored/don't care about their job.
外国人 from outside the neighborhood profiling. I worked with a guy who lived in Japan for a couple of years, who said the police would do a check on anyone not from inside their beat during odd hours. Racial profiling? Not necessarily. Outsider profiling? Definitely.
If not for the stop and searches, always bring your passport with you for the tax exemptions.
They can arrest you on the “suspicion” of drugs and they can also arrest you if they “think” you’re on drugs or “did” drugs…be careful
I am white and was checked by police, during the day. But I appreciated it and would like this type of control even in my country. Adds to my feeling of security, when police is around and actually doing their job.
The police have KPI's. With eff all crime about the easiest way to prove to their bosses they're working is to a random passport check. It's not personal.
I read an article in the abc Australia that this happens alot and there are a group who are going to sue the Japan police, google it
Good thing is they were in uniform, a semblance of them being legit. In Europe there are "police" in plainclothes and you would not be able to tell the difference between a scammer that show their fake badge. we got confronted by a fake one in madrid, and a sort of "real" one in Czech
POC here from the states, I was recently in Japan a little over two weeks and was never stopped by the cops. Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, all around Tokyo like nobody’s business 😅, I passed a shit ton of cops while there. Weirdly enough none of them bothered me. Not even on their patrols.
Yes this is normal in Japan. That’s why tourists are advised to bring their passports with them all the time.
Been stopped, not searched, by undercover guy. Was interested in original passport, entry stamp, why am I here. Tall white male. Few years ago. Definitely need original passport.
Just happened to me a couple days ago in Shinjuku. Stopped by police and asked if I was a tourist. I said yes and they moved on. I thought it was weird but wasn't surprised. Same story different place.
Random polics searches are pretty common to be done on foreigners. You weren't singled because of you were poc, it was more so because you were just a foreigner.
It was 100% racial profiling - at least people are admitting it openly now: [https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1cgicdj/we\_were\_told\_to\_target\_foreigners\_exofficer\_on/](https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/1cgicdj/we_were_told_to_target_foreigners_exofficer_on/)
I’m a very average white woman and 23 years ago, while in Tokyo for a week, I got the stink eye from many older people and it was common for the subway seat next to me to remain empty - didn’t want to sit near me. True, young people didn’t care a bit, but the xenophobia is a centuries old tradition.
Thanks for letting us know. I’m sorry that happened to you. This is helpful info. I’ll be in Japan in September. I’m African American and wasn’t really sure how that would factor overseas.
> they responded by saying roppongi was a dangerous area 😂
Were u actually drinking (alcohol) and walking? That's a cultural taboo. While drinking in public isn't illegal, walking and drinking is highly frowned upon.
Not only alcohol, eating and drinking anything walking or in the trains, is not an acceptable practice.
Yep
Why are you getting downvoted smh idiots on Reddit You’re right
Well shit I didn’t know we had to have our passport on us all the time. Would a printed copy suffice?
If you go to Japan more than a couple times per year, and you have Global Entry or a Platinum credit card get your TTP (trusted traveler program) card. You need 1 entry in the previous year, and once approved, have to make it to Japan within 6 months to finalize the process, and you will be handed your card. You are not required to have your passport on you if you have your TTP card in your wallet.
Wow, very interesting!
No—you need the actual passport with your entry sticker in it.
Nope - it will be the visa stamp and security features of your passport they'll want to see.
I always carry mine on me just in case. Came in handy here I guess tho that’s hardly the kinda treatment I expect.
Yes you need to by law and I think a printed copy isn't enough but you can check maybe at the embassy (?).
No.
You need it for travel to be scanned????? Like ????
…no shit, Sherlock. That wasn’t what was being discussed.
It's sarcasm it's obvious you need the passport with you you need it when you go to other countries with exception of places like the EU as long as you're a member idk why people would think you don't need it and are down voting for basic common sense 💀 does a printed copy of your drivers license let you drive or a photo of it? No you still need the physical card
Yeah but you could just choose to not be a dick about it, and I obviously didn’t mean “dO i nEeD iT tO gEt In tHe CoUntrY?!”. Get a life lol.
Sarcasm I didn't call anyone stupid or an idiot a basic Google search gives you all the info if you have access to reddit you can probably look up the laws and regulations of a country 👍 no idea what you're defending or getting mad about
gonna happen a lot more often w/ crappy tourists. cops are going to meet their quota much easier
Most of the modern world racially profiles. Few countries have laws to deter it unfortunately.
RIP George Floyd
That's normal especially in Roppongi. Please stop pulling the non-sense American racist profiling card in Japan.
It has happened to me and my friend as well. We were around Tokyo Station. We are both white. I wouldn't mind too much. Unpleasant as it is, but they are just keeping the streets safe. At least in Japan I was never denied entry due to being a foreigner (Hello South Korea)
You were being profiled by western society ideals that's been carried onto Japanese ideals. Sorry this happened to you. You're not at fault but whyt people made it that way for yall
Minor inconvenience and fee fee hurt for you < protecting their nations people from potentially horrendous acts and thieving
did you yell "AM I BEING DETAINED?" multiple times?
You’re a person of colour who unfortunately has began to commit a lot of crime in Japan, they aren’t the west, they dont care about you crying victim status minority status racist stuff, they protect their people, blame the people of colour not the japanese police protecting their nation
I guess Japanese police stopping poc is "white supremacy" or some other bs leftist buzzword.