You think cops are bad in the US?

[CSAR]

Hey ladies and gentlemen,

I just got out of jail here in lovely Tokyo, where I have been held for the past 4 days without any phone calls, visitations, or right to an attorney. The best part is...I didn't do anything.

A woman ran a stop sign while I was walking across the street. She swerved to miss me, drove up onto the curb, and hit a tree. I asked another person who was nearby to call the police and ambulance, gave her aid (I used to be a corpsman in the Navy), and waited until the authorities arrived. She was perfectly fine. A little shocked from her airbag deploying, but otherwise no visible injuries and she was completely lucid and coherent, which told me she had no brain damage or other internal injuries. Anyhow, as the cops are taking her statement, she says that I walked out in front of her, which caused her to crash. I maintained that she ran the stop sign. When the cops got out their little tape measure to determine the velocity of her vehicle, she seemed to realize that physics was about to ruin her story. So, she suddenly changed her statement and said that she was distracted by the foreigner (me). I looked around for the guy who called the police and ambulance to back my story up and he was gone. Rule #1 for the J-Cops...believe a Japanese person before a foreigner. The cops asked me to escort them to the police station for further questioning, which I complied with. I had 3-5 cops screaming profanities and racial slurs at me in a little room for 10 hours a day. Not only was I denied a phone call, but they refused to inform my wife of what had happened (plus they called her all manner of names to my face). They even took a urine test, because they claimed that all foreigners use drugs (see recent news regarding 3 Russian sumo wrestlers who got in trouble for weed). I got a small bowl of white rice with some seaweed twice a day and a cup of water to wash it down. I repeatedly refused to sign a written confession, so on the 4th day, they finally gave up. When they returned my wallet, cellphone, belt, etc., one cop asked if I knew about soccer. I said I did and he told me this was my "yellow card."

My wife had been worried sick and had contacted the police during my "absence." They claimed they had no idea as to where I was and told her that I probably ran off, as foreigners aren't to be trusted. We contacted a lawyer, who then contacted the police to obtain information, and the cops said they have no record of me being held at their facility. So basically, it never happened and I have no case. The lawyer says I need to just let it go and "enjoy the changing of the autumn leaves." Thank God this happened during the summer holiday, because if this was during the fall semester, I'd be out of a job too.

Before you start saying, "You shoulda done this..." or "Why didn't you...", know that this is Japan. The J-Cops don't need jack shit. They can hold you for up to 23 days without charging you with a crime. You're not entitled to a phone call. You're not entitled to a lawyer. You're not worthy of rights, because you're a filthy "gaijin."

But hey, at least SERE school did me some good. Compared to that, this was nothing.

[Dukkit]

fukk!!

glad you made it out in one piece bro.

[Diary of a Mad-man]

Whoa! Are you promptly getting the **** out of there ?!?!

Sorry to hear about all that. Hope your wife is ok too.

All of this over a traffic accident? That bitch sold you down the river?



Also, the drug test thing? I guess to see if you were driving on something? Or more like a "you smoked weed (or whatever) a month ago, now we put you in jail for X time"? WAIT, THATS RIGHT, YOU WERE WALKING!

This is all bullshit. All this for walking across the street?!?! I thought Japan was a cool place, but your stories always make me think otherwise.
Glad to be in the States.

[RuhlFreak55]

there's only one solution.......godzilla their asses

[Ernst]

Well, I guess you know Japan and how to conduct yourself there better than I do.... but I'm amazed you stood for that. Good for you for getting out unscathed.
What would they do if you just stood up and got in their faces and began screaming at them for a rep from your consulate?

[Dukkit]

there's only one solution.......godzilla their asses

hahahah

[Red Ketchup]

Have you thought of going to the media (American media, not the local crap) and making an international incident out of this?

Red

[kloter1]

Shit I would be terrified in that situation. U go over there for vacation or what?

[JiGGaMaN]

I would have at least asked: Why you hatin' on my giant american penis.

[IronReload04]

Have you thought of going to the media (American media, not the local crap) and making an international incident out of this?

Red

I second that!!!!!!!!

[zimmy]

their country ...their rules... don't like it... leave. Not every place has a constitution.

[IronReload04]

really, seriusly, what red ketchup said......


you get that story out there, and maybe they could suffer in a few ways or another.

[wukillabee]

I would have at least asked: Why you hatin' on my giant american penis.

Haha, pretty much. GUess u learned ur lesson, dont go to an asian country and cross the street. Not sure where u live but here in southern california ive never seen nor met an asian that knows how to drive. HAve u seen one parrallel park? Omg. Id wait at the crosswalk for 10 minutes if i had to til there was no cars around before i crossed, fu*k that.

[Nitro29]

Wow bro that is messed up. Glad you kept your composure, after about 3 days of that shit I probably would have flipped out on them hard. Your way was better...nitro

[Voice of Reason]

That sucks man, I'm glad to hear your still alive tho.

さようなら

[natureboy]

Phuk that! I'd be outta there, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly back to the USA!

[CSAR]

Cheers guys!

Actually, I did contact the two major English language newspapers here, but there is no official record as I was just being questioned and not formally charged with a crime. I sent a statement from my wife and a picture of the tree, but without any official paperwork, there is no trail to be followed. Plus, I learned the papers are run by Japanese and unwilling to report news that may make them look bad.

I know that if at any time I had lost my composure during the questioning, they would have beat my ass and claimed that I had assaulted them. That would have led to a short prison term followed by deportation, which would negatively affect my wife & kids. The J-Cops have greater than a 95% conviction rate, because they are able to detain/question suspects for up to 23 days. They also use the language barrier to their advantage and coerce people to sign confessions, which means "100% guilty" over here. Several times they put a pen and confession statement in front of me and told me I had to sign it. I sat on my hands, politely refused to give my John Hancock (I didn't even touch the pen or paper), and maintained the woman had run the stop sign. They did a drug test for weed because 3 Russian sumo wrestlers were busted, so to the J-Cops, being a foreigner equaled being a drug user. Once the negative results came back a few days later, their only hope of getting me on something was to continue their verbal assaults and hope I'd break and sign their confession. Finally, they must've realized that it wasn't going to happen, so they let me go.

Things I learned/confirmed from this experience:
1. Japan sucks.
2. Japanese will play the race card when a foreigner is involved, because it immediately shifts the guilt away from them.
3. It doesn't matter what your visa status is (I have permanent residency and pay my full share of taxes), who you work for, or even that you're married to one of their own, you'll always be a gaijin in Japan.
4. Don't expect anything - a phone call, contact to your family, contact to your embassy, a translator...nothing. I'm glad I speak enough Japanese to get by, but unfortunately it caused the J-Cops some concern because they distrusted me even more. I know that sounds weird, but if you understand Japanese culture and nihonjiron, it makes sense.
5. Be patient, don't let insults get to you, and don't sign anything. Eventually, they will realize they're not going to get a conviction to maintain their impressive rate and will let you go.
6. There's no place like home. We thought we would stay until the kids had finished grade school, but now we're considering leaving as soon as we can.

[DSM4Life]

Does this give you flashbacks ?

[DSM4Life]

That middle guy is looking right at you!

[Dizz28]

I was a Corpsman also, I went to Okinowa and then Mainland Japan back in early 2000. They told us not to screw with the japaneze police. They already hate Americans enough. Some crimes that you commit out in town you get prosecuted by thier courts, by thier rules and go to thier jail for a very long time..

[MuscleScience]

their country ...their rules... don't like it... leave. Not every place has a constitution.

The Japanese have a constitution

[Nitro29]

The Japanese have a constitution

Yes they do. And they wrote the act of declaring war out of it after we hit them with Fat Boy and Little Man.


Hmmm, that might explain their attitude....

[firmechicano831]

damm man, well at least ur ok.

[IronReload04]

When you get back to the U.S., then you let the media have it!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nitro29]

I know that if at any time I had lost my composure during the questioning, they would have beat my ass and claimed that I had assaulted them.

Oh you can bet your ass there would have been some assault going down.


Yeah, if I'm gonna do time for "alleged assault" then I am gonna bring the FUNK to as many of those mother effers as possible until they taze me down into the dirt. There would be little Jap heads flying everywhere.

Get the hell out of there. And tell them to stick it down in their mouth and suck on it ...nitro

[running_scared]

Just think, they got nuked dude

[QuieTSToRM33]

I'd be doing life in prison if that was me.

[GT2]

Just think, they got nuked dude

HAHAHA HOLY SH1T! Funniest thing I've read for SOME time!

In regards to your story bro, that seems really fvcked up. As for the Japs being racist to foreigners, I completely agree with you. Just like westerners are racist towards asians, the reverse also holds true.

[Flagg]

Just think, they got nuked dude

Dickhead.

Csar, sorry to hear about the shitty experience...by the way, does Gaijin literally translate as "white ghost"? If anything, I always thought China would be more like that. It just goes to show, no matter WHERE you go in the world, there is intollerance towards other ethnic minorities. I would definitley make a big deal about it when you get back home, but I doubt anything will be done and instead will look like the West fear-mongering and sticking their nose in. Damn, I still can't believe what happened to you...it's like something out of a movie. Definitely get yourself and the family out of dodge.

[Skully44420]

damn thats fukked up bro. glad to hear they let you out though. its crazy how countries can get away with that shit.

[southmadejd]

I hear you CSAR....I got fukked while in Okinawa when I was stationed there...not to your extent though.

I was driving my car and I was stopped at a redlight and some okinawan slams into me and when the cops come they actually said that it was partly my fault.....FOR BEING WHERE I WAS!?!?!

The way it works in Okinawa and Japan is that they believe you are responsible for all actions.....so I had to actually pay %20 of this guys bill to fix his car and I had to write a letter to him and his family and personally deliver it to his house.....I was so pissed off but the Marine Corps got involved and walked me through the process and told me just to bite my tongue because the JPs could make this look way worse.

They call it Gomenesai money....which basically means I am sorry.

[CSAR]

Dude, that sucks and confirms how fvcked up Japan is. I'm pretty shocked at all the gomen nasai money that exchanges hands over here. Also helps keep their crime stats low.

There was a Marine that got into big trouble a while back for alleged rape in Oki. He picked up a 14 year old girl in Chatan during the wee hours of the morning and kissed her. I don't condone what the guy did, but what culture lets a 14 year old girl and her friends run wild in a known adult-entertainment/prostitution district at 2 AM? It turns out all he did was kiss her, took her home on his motorcycle, and then she reported that she had been raped by a Marine. The J-media was all over that until her father urged the police to drop the charges a few days later. I guess he was upset that his daughter was engaged in enjo kosai (compensated dating, a form of prostitution which is very common in Japan) and didn't get paid for her time. It wouldn't surprise me if daddy was her pimp.

I hear you CSAR....I got fukked while in Okinawa when I was stationed there...not to your extent though.

I was driving my car and I was stopped at a redlight and some okinawan slams into me and when the cops come they actually said that it was partly my fault.....FOR BEING WHERE I WAS!?!?!

The way it works in Okinawa and Japan is that they believe you are responsible for all actions.....so I had to actually pay %20 of this guys bill to fix his car and I had to write a letter to him and his family and personally deliver it to his house.....I was so pissed off but the Marine Corps got involved and walked me through the process and told me just to bite my tongue because the JPs could make this look way worse.

They call it Gomenesai money....which basically means I am sorry.

[warchild]

fvck japan

[xlxBigSexyxlx]

Asian females are statistically the worst drivers in the world.

[Narkissos]

Have you thought of going to the media (American media, not the local crap) and making an international incident out of this?

Red

I'd've blogged that shit to hell by now.

[spywizard]

Hey ladies and gentlemen,

I just got out of jail here in lovely Tokyo, where I have been held for the past 4 days without any phone calls, visitations, or right to an attorney. The best part is...I didn't do anything.

A woman ran a stop sign while I was walking across the street. She swerved to miss me, drove up onto the curb, and hit a tree. I asked another person who was nearby to call the police and ambulance, gave her aid (I used to be a corpsman in the Navy), and waited until the authorities arrived. She was perfectly fine. A little shocked from her airbag deploying, but otherwise no visible injuries and she was completely lucid and coherent, which told me she had no brain damage or other internal injuries. Anyhow, as the cops are taking her statement, she says that I walked out in front of her, which caused her to crash. I maintained that she ran the stop sign. When the cops got out their little tape measure to determine the velocity of her vehicle, she seemed to realize that physics was about to ruin her story. So, she suddenly changed her statement and said that she was distracted by the foreigner (me). I looked around for the guy who called the police and ambulance to back my story up and he was gone. Rule #1 for the J-Cops...believe a Japanese person before a foreigner. The cops asked me to escort them to the police station for further questioning, which I complied with. I had 3-5 cops screaming profanities and racial slurs at me in a little room for 10 hours a day. Not only was I denied a phone call, but they refused to inform my wife of what had happened (plus they called her all manner of names to my face). They even took a urine test, because they claimed that all foreigners use drugs (see recent news regarding 3 Russian sumo wrestlers who got in trouble for weed). I got a small bowl of white rice with some seaweed twice a day and a cup of water to wash it down. I repeatedly refused to sign a written confession, so on the 4th day, they finally gave up. When they returned my wallet, cellphone, belt, etc., one cop asked if I knew about soccer. I said I did and he told me this was my "yellow card."

My wife had been worried sick and had contacted the police during my "absence." They claimed they had no idea as to where I was and told her that I probably ran off, as foreigners aren't to be trusted. We contacted a lawyer, who then contacted the police to obtain information, and the cops said they have no record of me being held at their facility. So basically, it never happened and I have no case. The lawyer says I need to just let it go and "enjoy the changing of the autumn leaves." Thank God this happened during the summer holiday, because if this was during the fall semester, I'd be out of a job too.

Before you start saying, "You shoulda done this..." or "Why didn't you...", know that this is Japan. The J-Cops don't need jack shit. They can hold you for up to 23 days without charging you with a crime. You're not entitled to a phone call. You're not entitled to a lawyer. You're not worthy of rights, because you're a filthy "gaijin."

But hey, at least SERE school did me some good. Compared to that, this was nothing.

the point really is.. if you visit a foreign country, it was your choice, don't complain about how they treat you.. if you don't like it.. leave.. it's that simple..

have you wondered what they may have done to your wife while she was in custody for up to 23 days??

My wife wouldn't be there..

[MuscleSportMag]

If their assinine rules allow them to hold you in this manner for 23 days, then why did they deny holding you?

It seems that things have "come a long way" in SE Asia since McCain was held in the 'Hanoi Hilton.' Rice and seaweed - did you also have an old paint bucket as a toliet, too? Pure savagery on their part.

[CSAR]

If their assinine rules allow them to hold you in this manner for 23 days, then why did they deny holding you?

It seems that things have "come a long way" in SE Asia since McCain was held in the 'Hanoi Hilton.' Rice and seaweed - did you also have an old paint bucket as a toliet, too? Pure savagery on their part.

Well, their rules allow them to detain/question suspects for up to 23 days without charges being filed, meaning no paperwork needs to be filed. Nothing is officially documented until the suspect confesses, which has resulted in a well-publicized conviction rate of 98%+.

I was only held for about 4 days. It wasn't anything I couldn't deal with, but I did have to shit in one of these:


Only mine had shit/urine stains and black pubic hair around it. But it is my choice to live in a foreign country, so I guess I do have to accept getting pissed on .

[Dukkit]

i need one of those toilets.

[CSAR]

But you have to be careful. Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeoUCbnURMo