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Hi,
this is going to be a long post, but it can't really be helped. I already tried keeping it as succinct as possible!
Last year, I was living in Japan on a UK working holiday visa, returning home earlier this year in January.
I am currently thinking of potentially returning via a work opportunity or just as a tourist (in the future).
Now we get to the story, which explains why this may / might not be possible (Sorry again for the length. I also assure you, that everything I typed out here, as silly as it may sound to you, did in fact, 100% happen):
I had to deal with the Japanese police while I was there, as I was being accused of something I did not do. Allow me to explain further.
I was living in Hokkaido at the time (November 2023), at a friend's place. I was allowed to use his car to explore and run errands / get groceries etc., in exchange for petrol money. One snowy night, I return from the grocery store only to see that 2 people were blocking the last parking spot in the lot. They were apparently waiting for their friends to return with their car, so they were preventing me from parking there myself. They didn't speak English and my Japanese at the time, wasn't as good as it is now. Despite the language barrier, they acted quite rude and dismissive towards me, gesturing me to get lost and not park there. Again, this wasn't their lot or spot, anyone was allowed to park there. Not sure on what to do and getting cold, I left the car in the lot, parked in front of those guys. It was only meant to be temporary, as my intention was to get my friend / host and help me resolve this issue / translate if necessary. Once inside his apartment, I tell him about the situation outside, when we see flashing lights approaching.
Turns out they or their friends called the police?
After a while, the police come knocking on the apartment door and ask to see the driver of the vehicle. I come to the door and they tell me that that one of the gentlemen outside, claims I purposely hit him with the car in anger, which his friends all affirmed as well apparently. I was legit speechless and just standing there, slack-jawed. What followed, can only be described as the most gruelling experience I have had while I was in Japan. All evening, until around 11:30 pm, we went through the entire scenario, several times. They made sketches, we traced steps outside etc.
They even got a forensics unit out there, with UV light and everything, to check the front of the car for any potential signs of a collision.
Let me just quickly say, in case it wasn't obvious already, I didn't hit that person period. Absolutely impossible, no way! There were at least 2 metres of distance, maybe even 2.5, between the front of the car and them. So that one guy, probably angry at me for just leaving the car out there, blocking the spot for their soon-to-arrive friends, seemingly wanted revenge and just straight up lied to the cops LOL!!!!
Anyway, they weren't able to find anything concrete that night so they returned the next morning, to question me some more, retrace all the steps and have a look at the car again during daytime, and so on. But again, nothing.
I also want to mention that the police response seemed completely overkill. They had 6 cars out there in total, securing the parking lot, on the road, the forensics unit etc.
It also felt like the police was distrustful of and against me from the get-go. Like they were just looking for the slightest scratch on the car, any discrepancy, whatever... anything to screw me. I know they were probably just doing their job, but Idk., it felt like... they had nothing else to do that evening and were taking this waaaay too seriously (6 police cars lol, absolutely unheard of in the UK, for something like this?!). I also don't want to attribute this to discrimination, but I am a female and a person of colour and the police didn't seem to be impartial at all. The guy who claimed I hit him, was Japanese. I also don't know what exactly the police were told on the phone or when they talked to the "injured party".
Anyway, back to the story. They then tell me, "we'll be in touch" and they leave.
They also told me the guy would need to see a doctor and produce some kind of proof / letter, confirming that I hit / touched him with the vehicle or that such marks / contusions were found on him.
So I am thinking, okay, nothing's gonna come of this and while still shaken up and honestly pissed, I manage to move on from it and end up leaving Hokkaido two weeks later, to travel Kansai and southern Honshu, before I depart from Osaka.
It's now mid January, I'm in Hiroshima, after having explored Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Himeji, basically all / most of Kansai. This was approximately 1 week from my return flight, a Monday.
I received a message from the friend in Hokkaido, telling me that the police returned, asking for me. He told them that I had left and they told him, that the guy wasn't able to produce that medical report, but is pressing charges nonetheless? So they wanted to see me at the station, all the way back in Hokkaido. He was also given the number of the supervisor, who initially interviewed me that night, with the instruction to forward it to me. So I do just that only to have a woman answer, instead of the supervisor. She speaks okay English though and tells me that he isn't in today, but that she would be able to assist me as well. After 40 frustrating minutes on the phone (I was asked the same questions like 20 times lol), it all boils down to them demanding I return to Hokkaido, specifically to their station (it was a town northeast of Sapporo), and preferably soon at that. I told them that I return all the way back up there, that it would cost me an arm and a leg and that I am in Hiroshima right now, almost at the opposite end of the country! Then they tell me to call them back on Friday to discuss this with the supervisor directly? Well, my flight was on the following Monday, just fyi.
But before I ever got the chance, my friend contacted me once more, telling me that they just contacted him again, asking for my exact location, so that they could send someone to pick me up / make contact in person or something along those lines, no further info given. He didn't have my exact address in Hiroshima and he probably wouldn't have given it out anyway if he did.
That was on Wednesday, 2 days before the scheduled call with the supervisor on Friday and 2 days after the call I had with the station on Monday.
Now I was legit freaked out. At that point, I was aware of how "different" Japan's legal system can be, from confessions under duress to assumed guilty until oroven innocent, discrimination, holding individuals for 23 days without charge etc.
So I wasn't 100% sure on what to do next.
I hadn't done anything wrong, so I thought, maybe I have nothing to worry about.
But on the other hand, my flight was just a few days away, the whole language of "pick me up / in person", sounded suspicious as hell. It also bothered me that they told me to wait till Friday to to call them again and talk to the supervisor but then they contact my Japanese friend in Hokkaido, hoping he provides them with my current address? It just felt really sketchy and disingenuous. I was a gaijin, black, and female + all the horror stories I was told / had heard etc. etc. etc.
I would also lose my 700£ (non-refundable) ticket, if I were to be detained by them, I thought.
So I decided it would be best to just lay low until my flight date and not contact them again.
And it worked!
I was able to leave the country without issues and my friend wasn't contacted by the police again either.
Now we get to the present:
As mentioned at the beginning, I am toying with the idea of returning via a work visa or potentially just as a tourist, to Okinawa specifically.
Would that even be possible? Or would I get arrested at the border?
With a work visa I wouldn't run that risk, as the worst case scenario would just be a denial.
I have no idea what became of that situation after I left. Like I said, they didn't return to my friend's apartment and no other news. Do you think I have a criminal record in Japan now? Would I have to mention this situation on a visa form? Probably not a good idea, but I don't know.
Who would I even contact regarding this?
The police station wasn't helpful at all.
Preferably someone that speaks English. My Japanese has improved a lot, but I don't know any legal Japanese and don't wanna say anything that could be misconstrued / incriminate me etc.
So, what do you think is the situation in JP? And what would be the best course of action?
Am I just blowing this out of proportion? Or is this as serious as I think it is, and requires special attention, before I make any moves towards Japan again?
Thanks!
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