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Getting arrested in Japan

sundaicity.com

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Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#71

Post by nephihaha »

c-c-c-c-c wrote: post #18
xyzelement wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

There’s loads of drugs in tokyo and ample opportunities to get robbed or beaten up every day of the week and the police doesn’t give one crap as long as they only target foreigners. Fucked up country I wish for the people to be free one day from their current fascist leaders.

I have visited Tokyo and never once felt unsafe. I cannot say the same for cities of similar size in the west. Never experienced aggressive youths on the street or drug addicts, which are things I have to navigate here.

Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#73

Post by ranger_danger »

amarant wrote: post #29
actionfromafar wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arrested not convicted.

Japan has a conviction rate of 99.8%. arrested and convicted is pretty much the same thing over there https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_justice_system_of_Jap...

> Japan has a conviction rate of 99.8%

So does the US.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/06/11/only-2-of...

Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#74

Post by lazyasciiart »

disillusioned wrote: post #24
metacritic12 wrote: post #14

Seems like it's not pleasant, and the author says in theory it could be as low of a bar as getting into a heated argument; but the author never discloses his actual charge, which I think is critical context. If he stabbed someone and got this treatment, it would be very different than if he had a loud but normal argument you might see in any big box store in the US. That he doesn't go on to protest why he got locked…

They _do_ specifically protest, and it's crazy that they're able to detain you like this from an accusation while they build a case, even if you're innocent. In the US, barring flight risks and past history or cases of real malice or violence or an ongoing threat, you can at least typically make bail, AND the conditions in a jail are generally far better and less strict than this: >Both cases were ultimately dropped…

> In the US, barring flight risks and past history or cases of real malice or violence or an ongoing threat, you can at least typically make bail

The literal majority of people in US jails are there not because they have been convicted of anything but because they were given a bail amount they couldn’t afford to pay, which is a deliberate strategy by the courts when there is no justification to refuse bail. This can look like a $500 cash bail set on a homeless guy charged with resisting arrest (aka being arrested). Many of them are innocent and are trapped and have their lives ruined in exactly the way this guy describes. (We assume that many of them are innocent because when someone pays their bail, more than 50% of cases are simply dismissed as soon as they leave jail. The expectation is that they will just plead guilty because otherwise they are stuck in jail for months waiting for a trial).

https://bailproject.org/data/unlocking-the-truth/

Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#75

Post by lazyasciiart »

brendoelfrendo wrote: post #52
metacritic12 wrote: post #14

Seems like it's not pleasant, and the author says in theory it could be as low of a bar as getting into a heated argument; but the author never discloses his actual charge, which I think is critical context. If he stabbed someone and got this treatment, it would be very different than if he had a loud but normal argument you might see in any big box store in the US. That he doesn't go on to protest why he got locked…

The thing is, this is pretty standard treatment over in Japan. As the blog poster says, the charge against them was ultimately dropped, but not before they were held for over 30 days. The 23 day timer on charges is, as they said, something that is often exploited by the police; they can add charges later to reset the clock. While this is going on, you're often pressured to sign a confession. You may get offered a com…

Same in the USA. This is what “prosecutor deals” are for: plead guilty and we’ll let you off with a year in jail, make us hold a trial and the judge will give you ten years.

Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#76

Post by zulux »

Pro Tip: When visiting Japan, dress and comport yourself so you don't look like you should be thrown in jail, and it will happen a lot less often.

As a Mexican friend puts it for Mexico: Dress as the police should believe you.

Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#77

Post by aloisklink »

metacritic12 wrote: post #14

Seems like it's not pleasant, and the author says in theory it could be as low of a bar as getting into a heated argument; but the author never discloses his actual charge, which I think is critical context. If he stabbed someone and got this treatment, it would be very different than if he had a loud but normal argument you might see in any big box store in the US. That he doesn't go on to protest why he got locked…

The author mentions it in a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2epTf2IW1g (at the 2:20 mark).

But essentially, somebody else sent her a package with something illegal in it that she didn't ask for. The police took her passport for a few months and searched her house. After a few months, she got her passport returned to her, she left Japan temporarily, but when she came back, they arrested her "to ensure [she] wouldn't flee while they finished the investigation".

She also mentioned it was "the most normal type of thing you can think of"; it might have been something like pseudoephedrine/Sudafed. That's a common over-the-counter drug in other countries but it's very illegal here in Japan (unless it's under 10%, or you buy it from Japan)!

Edit: Importing pseudoephedrine above 10% concentrations is illegal, but you can legally buy some higher concentrations over-the-counter while in Japan.

Re: Getting arrested in Japan

#78

Post by sodafountan »

metalcrow wrote: post #7

This sounds bad enough that it makes me wonder what the punishment for breaking the rules in jail is. If you can't sleep in a certain direction, what are they going to do if you refuse to obey? Or even can't obey because you don't speak Japanese?

Breaking rules in US prisons leads to solitary confinement. I'm assuming there's something similar in Japanese prisons, although the conditions sound like they can't get much worse...

I can't logically think of any other lawfully worse punishment than what was described in the article. I don't know what they'd do for breaking rules in these situations, to be honest.

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