[Niknaizorai]

"Japan is renowned for being a virtually crime-free country, and usually Japanese police get the credit. This does not exactly reflect reality. It is true Japan is very safe, and you can walk the streets at night feeling pretty secure, but there is more crime in Japan than the statistics tell, and the police are not always very effective in pursuing it. Japan's incredibly high arrest and conviction rates do not just reflect efficient criminal justice, but also effective interrogation techniques, a high number of confessions, some forced, and a judicial system (no juries) which tends to consider a suspect guilty on little more than the recommendation of the prosecutor.

This is not to say that Japan's judicial system has run amok, crime is everywhere and innocents are always sent to jail, far from it. However, many crimes go unreported, especially sexual crimes, or crimes where there is little chance of catching the perpetrator. The Yakuza tend to go relatively unhindered by Japanese police, especially where "victimless" crimes are concerned. Gambling and prostitution, although illegal, are practiced very visibly; police will sometimes make token raids, usually with a politician somewhere nearby mugging for the media, which is always alerted for these events.

Also, police have much more freedom than their western counterparts in making arrests and interrogations. For example, the police may hold someone on suspicion, without filing an actual charge, and keep that person incommunicado for more than three weeks while they are questioned. I have never met anyone who this was done to, however; you don't really have to worry too much about it happening to you.

The police do pay some special attention to foreigners, however; because of Japanese stereotypes that foreigners are more likely to be criminals, foreign residents get stopped on the streets a lot more--especially if you are a foreigner who rides a bicycle, and thus look like you stole it. When the police stop you, on foot or on bike, they will ask to see your Alien Registration Card ("Gaikokujin Toroku-sho"), popularly called a "gaijin card" by those required to carry it. This used to be a small booklet with a dozen or more pages, but has been cut down to the size of a driver's license. If the police stop you and you cannot produce your card, they will probably take you to the police station where you must fill out explanation and apology forms. Someone must then bring the card to the station before they will release you. "