Originally Posted by
txlflyer
You must be joking. I have lived 8 years in Japan and still feel uncomfortable if they take a copy of your passport. I have never seen a democratic country with a less transparent police system than Japan. Several foreign expat friends of mine had been arrested for no reason whatsoever, two landed in jail for two weeks, they were not allowed to contact a lawyer or their embassy. Once they found it was a severe mistake there was no apology or compensation. Same is true for Japanese custom authorities, uneducated and ignorant folks. In China at least you know that you have no rights and can act accordingly.
OK, you have me convinced...perhaps I will worry more about it, but it won't stop the fact that they still will photocopy my passport. You've at least convinced me not to approach the cops lurking outside the Koban. I was thinking more about the honesty of the hotel staff vs the honesty of the police.