Comments

Posts

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED

A TV Tokyo police special that aired last weekend contained this brief segment about Gunma police arresting a foreigner:

The cops stop the man because he is riding around without a bicycle light. When they ask to see his alien registration card (they say “Alien card” in English), the man says he doesn’t have one. A search of his wallet reveals that he does have such a card, but it expired back in 2006. He admits that he is overstaying his visa. They ask for his passport, but he claims it was stolen.

He tells them he has children, hoping that they will show mercy and ignore his crime. However, the cops cannot ignore the fact that he has already admitted to being an illegal immigrant. The man is taken back to the station for further questioning, and it is discovered that he had entered Japan 18 years ago on a 90-day visa. Oddly enough, the TV show doesn’t mention the man’s nationality. [Judging from the mention of the Oizumi police department, this arrest probably took place in an area that has a very large South American population.]

The TV show uses ridiculously dramatic music and graphics to make it seem like the police have arrested a mass-murderer. The man speaks broken Japanese and may not fully understand all the questions the officers ask him, but the narrator is quick to declare him a liar. It was pretty lame, but to be fair, the show over-sensationalized all of its segments, not just the one about the illegal immigrant.

—

Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

52 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - September 1, 2010 at 9:55 am

Categories: Foreigners in Japan Tags:

shane

Evil stinking foriegners…My wifes married to one.

Pat

Divorce that foreigner lover!

http://www.onivoro.com.br Isaac Kojima

I think it’s odd if he is from South America. Usually, immigrants from there are people with Japanese background and it’s not hard to get a “nikkeijin” visa (visa for people with Japanese background valid for 3 years and renewable I don’t remember for how long). Well, at least it wasn’t hard to get this visa 18 years ago.
Jay

This is over sensationalized because that’s how they sell ad time and get people to feel that the *need* to watch the news. It’s terrible ‘reporting’ because we’re getting no facts. And they don’t need to say where the person is from because, again, it’s not reporting, really. He’s just ‘foreign’ and that’s bad and scary and they commit crimes. It’s shit like this that should have us writing to the TV stations telling them that at least one viewer will stop watching if they continue with this kind of irresponsibility. Unfortunately, they’ve set the tone and it sells.
Piglet

What can you expect from this kind of trash TV anyway?
Knowing that the government is in big trouble trying to get a better taxpayer base in view of the increasing social security costs and shrinking population, wouldn’t it be sensible to offer an amnesty to employed overstayers after a few years, like most countries? For example, a tax payer illegal immigrant would get papers after 5 years. Although it might look bad ideologically for the government, it would be a very practical solution in economic terms.

http://tepido.org/ LB

Sure, reward lawbreakers, that’s “practical”.

And “most countries” offer amnesty to employed illegals? Care to run down the list for us? And there better be at least 97 countries on that list.

And how many taxpaying illegals do you think there are? Paying taxes means registering yourself with your city or town, plus reporting your income to the national government in addition to your local government, and reporting one’s existence, home address, work address and income is generally not a good idea if you are in a country illegally. Kind of defeats the goal of “not being found/caught”.

Piglet

I realized I made a typo when I wrote “most countries”, I was thinking “many countries”. There are many cases of “de facto” or “one shot” regularization programs, but none in Japan yet. This is not a magical solution, but it can be used as a tool in a comprehensive immigration policy (something lacking in Japan).
By the way, contrary to common opinion, many overstayers work normal jobs, pay taxes, etc… The tax administration never checks your immigration status so many overstayers still work and pay taxes.

Below are some interesting links:

Regularization programs:
http://www.unityblueprint.org/_documents/research-and-policy/legalization-in-other-countries/2.%20AmandaLevinson-MigrationPolicyInstitute.pdf

Legalization in other countries:
http://www.unityblueprint.org/Research-and-Policy/Legalization-in-Other-Countries.html

ponta

It is ironical to see the recent news that many countries such as French, German, Italy are deporting illegals aliens, isn’t it?
Piglet

Both deportation and legalization are tools used in immigration policies. Sometimes both are done at the same time (expel illegal aliens but grant amnesty to some – usually those with a stable job and/or family and a few years residency). It is contradictory only in your head.
ponta

I didn’t say it was contradictory. Actually I agree with you. It is a policy at the time.

I wonder if you need to legalize irregular immigrants when you want to hire and tax them while in recession, you don’t need them and deport them.

Hamachiman

Heaven forbid any country and any of its citizens be proactive in rooting out illegal immigrants who knowingly violate a country’s laws.

Don’t get me wrong I do have some measure of sympathy for illegal aliens in some circumstances. But seeing what has happened to the U.S. and its porous borders, I admire any country that isn’t afraid to enforce its immigration laws and borders. Regardless of those who are quick to label such people as ‘racists’ and ‘xenophobes.’ My family did it the right way in immigrating to the U.S. Can’t others do the same?

Juchet

Let me guess, your family either immigrated before immigration regulations were put in place, or you didn’t come from Latin America.

yom

how did he have a gaijin card that expired in 2006 if he entered 18 years ago on a 90 day visa?

he must have had other visa’s since then to get the gaijin card updated, no?

did they mention that he had been living here for 18 years or that was just the first time he entered Japan?

http://www.japanprobe.com James

That gaijin card was not actually his card.

jay

you’re in a foreign country you gotta abide by their rules like anywhere else in the world.

they probably added all the epic music to make it more entertaining as arresting illegal immigrants is not that entertaining.

TV is tv,
the real crimes occur when cop tv isn’t being filmed.

cops doing their job and television doing theirs.
Dev

“A TV Tokyo police special that aired last weekend contained this brief segment about Gunma police arresting a foreigner:”

Guess they don’t have other pressing matters to attend to in that prefecture. *cough*Illegalstreetracing*cough*

http://tepido.org/ LB

Right, because we all know cops should ignore a violation of the rules of the road or public safety issues occurring right in front of them because there might be something bigger and better around the next corner…

Or not…

(rolls eyes)

Dev

Look at the Tokyo PD. A Blue Fairlady Z S30 tears around the Wangan like it’s the Devil, and NOBODY even notices?

FMD

It’s ok.
Dev

Joke goes over peoples heads.

eigafan

He lies to the police that he doesn’t have an alien registration card or a wallet. When he produces a wallet, they find an expired alien registration card that doesn’t even belong to him.
canio

OH. MY. GOD.

The Japanese police and immigration authorities have totally failed their duties.

The illegal alien was able to remain inside Japan for 18 bloody years without being found?

There should be an investigation into this scandal.
http://illegalalienreport.com Illegal Alien Report

Well said Jay, I’ve been doing my research in recent months and make no mistake. Illegal immigration is an international issue and sighting of illegal aliens have been popping up all over the world form the North Caucuses of Russia to England, France, Germany, and even Australia. The latter like this story proving that you don’t need a border to have border security problems.
wrobic1

Anyone with sympathy for people like this are sympathizing for people with intent to abuse the system. How awesome are you? These people come in with the expectancy to get in with their guaranteed 90day passport visa and just avoid gettin caught from there on because they can make so much more money here than back home. Havin kids could be the perfect way to not get deported with a cry-for-me sympathy case. Sounds familiar? Im glad to see Japan is doing its job unlike a CERTAIN other country offering amnesty rather than enforcing a written law.

ponta

U.S. sets another record for deporting illegal immigrants
By Lee Davidson
Deseret News
Published: Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010

”Homeland Security released on Wednesday its annual report on immigration enforcement actions for fiscal 2009, which was from Oct. 1, 2008 through Sept. 30, 2009.

The report said that “393,000 foreign nationals were removed (by formal orders) from the United States — the seventh consecutive record high. The leading countries of origin for those removed were Mexico (72 percent), Guatemala (7 percent) and Honduras (7 percent).

People who were removed came from a total of 182 different countries.

Besides those formally deported, the report said another 580,000 foreign nationals were allowed to return to their home countries without a removal order”

wan-chan

Every single day, foreign criminals are arrested in somewhere all over the earth. There is no surprising. But in Japan, if the police arrest foreign criminals, all of a sudden, it becomes racism and discrimination. Japanese police arrest criminals, but if the criminal was foreigner, all of a sudden, it becomes racism. Also, there are many ridiculously dramatic music and graphics in Japanese TV. When the ridiculously dramatic music and graphics are unluckily used in police documentary thing, and more unluckily the scene was foreign ciminal being arrested, it becomes racism (or propaganda that says all foreigners are criminals). Many police documentary shows are broadcasted in Japan but all we see is edited scenes that makes us think main Japanese police’s job is chasing around suspicious foreigners. But no one can blame JapanProbe (or any other news sites) because all we internet people want to see is weird, surprising and disgusting aspect of the things, not ordinary boring aspect. So, we should blame the illiegal activities of Japanese police based on stupid racism against innocent foreigners.

http://www.squidoo.com/the-cove Eric

It’s not racism, it’s xenophobia. Japan has a long history of xenophobia, and is still a very xenophobic country, as this T.V. program reveals.

Japan has since the end of the Edo era, when Perry arrived with his black ships, striven to keep foreigners out of Japan. Actually, the main impetus for the Meiji Restoration was the Shogunate’s failure to repel the “barbarians” that had the audacity to set foot on Japan’s sacred ground.

If you walk down the streets of Tokyo today you’ll notice that Japan has been largely successful in keeping itself free of the corrupting effect of having foreigners resident in the nation. One of the remarkable things about Tokyo is the tiny number of non-Japanese you see walking the streets in comparison to large Western cities like New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris or Berlin.

Japan is an advanced, affluent country in which a large number of people from around the world would like to live and work, but they have been discouraged to do so.

http://www.billowykimono.com Senor Science

“Actually, the main impetus for the Meiji Restoration was the Shogunate’s failure to repel the “barbarians” that had the audacity to set foot on Japan’s sacred ground. ”

The impetus for the Meiji Restoration was the Shogunate’s inability to deal with encroaching western powers that were stripping Japan of it’s sovereignty with unequal treaties and extraterritoriality rights.

Please don’t distort history.

“If you walk down the streets of Tokyo today you’ll notice that Japan has been largely successful in keeping itself free of the corrupting effect of having foreigners resident in the nation. One of the remarkable things about Tokyo is the tiny number of non-Japanese you see walking the streets in comparison to large Western cities like New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris or Berlin. ”

Funny, you couldn’t have fooled me with Hiroo, Azabu Juban, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, and Shin Okubo.

But I guess those last 2 don’t count since Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese all look the same, amirite?

“Japan is an advanced, affluent country in which a large number of people from around the world would like to live and work, but they have been discouraged to do so.”

Because you know, God forbid you don’t let every tom, dick, and harry move into your country en masse and cause social problems like in the west.

As I said to another commentator the other day, get your head out of your rear.

http://www.squidoo.com/english-vocabulary-quiz Eric

“The impetus for the Meiji Restoration was the Shogunate’s inability to deal with encroaching western powers that were stripping Japan of it’s sovereignty with unequal treaties and extraterritoriality rights.”

That’s true, but you’re leaving some things out, like the sonno joi movement for example. One of the important events during the bakumatsu was the assassination of Ii Naosuke. This is what Marius Jansen has to say about the motivations of the Shishi who killed him:

“The Mito shishi had first prepared a lengthy document explaining their action; it serves as a useful guide to what it meant to be a loyalist in 1860. There was not, as yet, any expression of determination to do away with the bakufu. Instead, the Regent was blamed personally for the evils of recent policy: his mistakes had resulted in a crime against the nation, and not only against the Tokugawa–that of admitting the foreigners to Japan. The Regent had disregarded the Imperial will, and this had led to a situation in which all Tokugawa feudal retainers should turn with shame and penitence to the Sun Goddess at her great shrine at Ise. In the face of such outrages ‘the highest duty of all’ could be met only by resolute steps to drive out the barbarians. But, instead of taking steps to that end, the Regent had punished and humiliated those who had sought to keep him from his errors…Such immoral policies had required the death of Ii Naosuke.”

As for general xenophobia in Japan in the Edo era, here is an interesting article about Kokugaku: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kokugaku-school/

“Funny, you couldn’t have fooled me with Hiroo, Azabu Juban, Roppongi, Ikebukuro, and Shin Okubo. ”

It’s true that there a lot more Chinese and Koreans in Tokyo than there used to be, but Tokyo still doesn’t come close to approaching the cosmopolitanism of cities like New York and London.
http://www.billowykimono.com Senor Science

The Sonno Joi movement became increasingly marginalized throughout the Meiji period and even seemed to jettison a lot of the rhetoric and ideology; if anything the Satsuma were just using the movement as an ends to a mean. I mean come on, if they really believed in the crap they were spewing why did they make alliances with foreigners and buy their weapons?

That kokugaku piece asserts that nothing about the movement was xenophobic, if anything all kokugaku did was assert the superiority of native Japanese culture against that of the Chinese; Something that is far from xenophobia in my book.

“It’s true that there a lot more Chinese and Koreans in Tokyo than there used to be, but Tokyo still doesn’t come close to approaching the cosmopolitanism of cities like New York and London.”

It’s disingenuous to compare a city in a country built from immigrants and a city that was the capital of a world spanning empire, something the Japanese have never done.

helical

Just a quibble, but Japan didn’t become *more* xenophobic after Perry’s black ships came. Before that, Japan was a hermit state that shunned foreign contact for fears of the Shogun’s power eroding in the face of spreading Christian beliefs. After all, Christians ultimately swore loyalty to God rather than any mortal Japanese heads of state, and this was quite worrisome to the people in power.
The few exceptions to the isolation included a few Dutch merchants who vowed not to do any preaching in the country, and even they were kept in isolation in a facility in Nagasaki. The rest were chased away by cannon emplacements along the coast.

You could argue that Japan is still xenophobic, but I don’t think one would be able to say Japan is more so than before Perry came.

http://japanlost.blogspot.com/ David H

Those types of programs are uniformly crap. I wouldn’t expect anything else from them. It is all sensationalistic—if you can call boring routine sensationalist. Ever seen them try to make a 10 minute 20 mph code 3 “chase” of bosozoku interesting?
Cryptnotic

Did anyone else recognize the music? Starting at 3:30, isn’t that the battle music from the original Macross?

Marcello

It’s actually from Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is probably the third or fourth “news” or live action video from Japan that has borrowed this theme. Maybe its to symbolize illegal aliens as dangerous as the angels attacking earth…. O_O

Cryptnotic

Ah, Evangelion. Thanks. I knew it was familiar. I thought it sounded older than NGE though.

Smith

It’s from Evangelion.

http://www.davidphoto.info david

I hate Japan police they are stupid their work is only ask the foreigner when they are with a bicicle if they stole the bicicle. The same policeman stopped me 2 times to ask me if the bicicle that I had was my bicicle.And one day we phoned the police because somebody was making noise near my house and the same police came with his bicicle.Obviusly all people ran away and he did not do anything

Their job is give you directions.HATE IT!!!One day will happen something bad and they do not known what to do

FMD

Cry me a river
Stereo

The police cannot arrest anyone just because he is making a noise.
yom

so u called the police, they turned up, the ppl u were complaining about had already left so the police couldnt do anything.

why are u complaining ?

feel free to leave Japan at the earliest opportunity.

manly

It says the guy is from Brazil in the left corner of the video…
Level3

Isn’t this part of the unspoken reason for the enactment of all those insanely strict bicycle laws recently?
Illegal to use an umbrella holder, but every housewife does.
Illegal to ride using an umbrella at all, but everyone does.
Illegal to ride on the sidewalk, but everyone does.
Illegal to ride without a light at night, but everyone does.
Illegal for kids under 13 to ride without a helmet, but none use them.
Illegal to ride on certain roads, and the sidewalk may be illegal, too. Guess you have to buy a car or walk.
50,000 yen fine for running a red light on a bicycle, but do it in a car and the fine
is as low as 9000 yen.

A list of laws that nobody knows/obeys is basically a blank arrest warrant for cops to abuse. A convenient trump card for “free” societies to question, detain or imprison troublemakers. In Japan, gaijin are the “troublemakers”, even though they aren’t.

Silver lining – These stories do help remind us gaijin to make sure we cycle hyper-safely.
I think I’ll strap a car battery on the rack and mount halogen headlamps. Maybe some neon.

http://tepido.org/ LB

Nice theory – if those laws were actually enacted “recently”.

But they weren’t, so there goes that idea…

Fat Tony

If you are going to try and scam the system, why not just learn the following simple phrases? “I am a naturalized citizen of this country. I do not have to answer any of your questions. Now pardon me while I go about my business.”

ponta

But be warned that it doesn’t work if there is a reason to suspect a person.

http://Koiyuki.deviantart.com Koiyuki

As a child of immigrants, myself, I can safely say he knew this was one of the possibilities when he came and stayed there illegally. It’s not easy to get in the legal way, and some can go broke doing all the needed paperwork, only to get denied mere steps away from the goal line. It’s essential to understand that some of the places illegals come from are highly dangerous, in crushing poverty and hold little to no future for it’s citizens beyond living another day. Why else would they risk being deported, losing limbs and putting their, and possibly their family’s lives to make a better life in a country of plenty, even if they end up doing menial work and being treated like yesterday’s trash? Although I am a firm believer in becoming a citizen the proper way, I hold respect for those willing to put everything on the line to give themselves and their family the kinds of lives they feel they deserve to have. For those lucky enough to be citizens, be fortunate that you won’t have to work one tenth as hard to get the things you want from life and have to to jump through hoop, after hoop, after hoop just to get by in this world.

The moment he got caught, he knew this was something quite close to reality for him, and remains so for anyone willing to take these risks. I feel no sympathy for his acts or what has come to pass, but I do hope he can use this moment to better himself and create an even better life than he has up to now
gtg

whoever uploaded that video – great username!
http://DiscriminatoryLinkDeleted Dave Faulkmore

After 18 years, he is no longer an illegal immigrant. He is simply an undocumented immigrant.

Having a kid is merely icing.

But don’t worry, Japan is importing tons of Chinese into Japan legally. They opened the flood gate. Just a matter of time now.

http://tepido.org/ LB

How about keeping it simple – he’s illegal. Is he undocumented? Yes. Why? Because he is in the country illegally.

But fortunately for him, since he is a foreigner, he can get into your parties cheaper than a Japanese man, right? Like this party you are holding this weekend?

Taiwan
Bar Cord
池袋駅西口から徒歩4分
外国人 ☺ 3,000円. 日本人 ♂ 3,500円. 日本人女性あるいは他のアジアの女性 3,000円.

Glad to see you are still keeping it classy. Can I get a special discount if I show up in an XXXL “Japanese Only” T-shirt?

Aaron

How do you live in Japan for 18 years and still speak only broken Japanese?

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com Turner

Quite easily, if you don’t try

Mulin_bautista

how to report illegal alien in Japan? overstay for 13 years.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED

Recent Comments

Further Reading

South Korean Government Demands That International Hydrographic Organization Use “East Sea”

Japanese Documentary About Sea Shepherd’s Protest Activities in Taiji (English Subtitles)

Babies Born on March 11th Receive Special Present

Washington Times Freelancer Slams Former Employer, Fails to Ethically Disclose Relationship?

Christopher Johnson Attempts to Silence Criticism of His “Gaijin Gulag” Article (Legal Threats!!!)

Tabloid Reports About Yu Darvish’s Love Life: Kirara Asuka & Miho Koga?

Does K-Pop Group KARA Have Ties to North Korea?

Tokyo Gate Bridge

Sara Errani Admits She Avoided Tennis Tournament in Tokyo: Feared Radiation

Chinese Workers Who Survived March 11th Tsunami Return to Tohoku

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Japan Blogs

Korea Blogs

Linkroll

Other Asia Blogs