Hello Blog. Received this email out of the blue from someone getting help from the information up at debito.org. Always pleased when somebody takes action to do something about their rights. Blogging with permission. Links to some pertinent info sites within the email and at the very bottom. Debito<\/p>\n
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\nFrom: Anonymous
\nSubject: Gaijin profiling at guesthouse
\nDate: November 25, 2006 12:55:39 AM JST
\nTo: debito@debito.org<\/p>\n
Hello Debito-san, Thank you for your article about random gaijin- card checks. What do think about this?<\/p>\n I live in Sakura House, which you may have heard of. Anyway this morning I was stopped by three men in black jackets The part that gets me the most is that these men were just waiting outside I would like to ask you, if you don’t mind, a few questions to be sure of 1) Who do you think these men were?<\/p>\n There were three of them, only one had a badge. None of them were in 2) Does checking everyone in a foreign dorm constitute “crime prevention”?<\/p>\n You had the bike example in your article, and it seemed that a cop Also, if it is even true that they have some evidence of foreigners Well, toriaezu, I emailed sakura house telling them what was going on and Anyway, I would appreciate any help or information you can give me. I’m Thanks again, Anonymous<\/p>\n \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n Thank you back! <\/p>\n A couple of links re the developing tendency towards racial profiling in Japan:<\/p>\n Here comes the fear: Antiterrorist law creates legal conundrums for foreign residents
\nhttps:\/\/www.debito.org\/whattodoif.html#gaijincard<\/a><\/p>\n
\n(http:\/\/www.sakura-house.com<\/a>) It is a chain of
\nguesthouses in Tokyo exclusively for foreigners. The buildings are not
\ndescreet. I live in Shitamachi and amidst the white tile and crumbling
\nbrick buildings, mine is marked with a bright “Sakura House” sign, not
\nthat the comings and goings of a few dozen foreigners would have gone
\nunnoticed otherwise.<\/p>\n
\n(windbreakers) and one of them flashed me a badge. They asked me if I had
\nmy “card”. Even though I had read your article, I was running late for
\nwork and was extremely frazzled at being approached like that. I could
\nfeel my Japanese fumbling but did manage to ask “nan de desuka?”. They
\ntold me that they had heard that some sakura house people had overstayed
\ntheir visa and were “just checking”. They went to far as to ask my room
\nnumber and whether I lived alone. They made double sure to check the
\naddress on the back of my card and sent me on my way. I was very insulted
\nand humiliated at being stopped like that. And the more I thought about
\nit, and the angrier I became.<\/p>\n
\nmy apartment, waiting to trap the gaijin as they went outside. The fact
\nthat they asked my room number makes me think that they’re just going to
\nkeep patroling until they’ve accounted for everyone. Moreover, this sort
\nof thing should be really unneccessary, as Sakura house checks the
\nduration of everybody’s visa before allowing them to stay there.<\/p>\n
\nmy legal footing.<\/p>\n
\nuniform. Is it possible that they (or at least one of them) were
\nimmigration detectives, assigned to check out my particular guesthouse
\nbecause they had some kind of lead? Were they plainclothes cops?
\nVigilantees? (they did seem to be overly pleased with themselves)<\/p>\n
\nreally does have the right to demand your gaijin card for rather flimsy
\nreasons. Is being foreign enough probable cause for suspicion, if the
\ncrime in question is “overstay”? As you mention, Japanese are also
\ncapable of theft, murder, and terrorist acts, but it would be pretty
\ndifficult for them to overstay their visas. (Of course there is the
\nissue of Japanese who happen to look non-Japanese, of foreign- born
\nJapanese citizens such as yourself, and ethnic Japanese foreigners, but
\nI doubt that that issue would carry any weight with a cop on the
\nstreet.)<\/p>\n
\noverstaying their visas at my guesthouse, does that mean that any
\nspecial investigation they are conducting overrides my right not to show
\nmy gaijin card when I am not doing anything suspicious?<\/p>\n
\nhow hurt I was by it. I told them I would appreciate it if they would do
\nsomething about it. I also posted a note on the front door of my
\nguesthouse and left a bunch of copies of “The law” in the entryway. I
\ndon’t know if anyone will be interested in making waves, but there it is.<\/p>\n
\nsurprised at how much this bothers me. Good job with your site, I’m glad
\nthat there’s information out there for us.<\/p>\n
\nJapan Times May 24, 2005
\nhttps:\/\/www.debito.org\/japantimes052405.html<\/a><\/p>\n