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FlyerTalk Forums (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/index.php)
-   Japan (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan-509/)
-   -   Police asking for passport - Was this instance legitimate? (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan/1758591-police-asking-passport-instance-legitimate.html)

fimo Apr 11, 2016 12:55 am
Originally Posted by Junkie (Post 26467034)
I think I remember hearing once to make two single page copies of your passport (photo & ID info). Keep one in your luggage whilst you keep your passport on you abroad. Leave the other at home.
Nowadays the way to go is a colour scan into a cloud account.

ElleBeeTee Apr 11, 2016 1:03 am
It is always unsettling to have details checked by an authority that you don't have immediate knowledge are genuine. In Japan, I'd be more confident than most (non-English-speaking) countries that this was a genuine encounter, based on my experience which is similar to other posters.

joejones Apr 12, 2016 7:43 pm
Originally Posted by 5khours (Post 26467170)
1. Foreigners are required to carry a gaijin card or passport at all times.
2. That said, I'm not sure police have a right to randomly check passports.
3. I've been asked for a passport a couple of times and when I asked if it was "gimu" (mandatory) that I show the passport, they said no.
Same here. ID checks by police are usually "shokumu shitsumon" (which means something like "on-duty inquiries") and compliance is optional. The cop will explain this to you if you ask them politely.

5khours Apr 12, 2016 8:54 pm
Originally Posted by joejones (Post 26477071)
The cop will explain this to you if you ask them politely.
With an emphasis on politely. IME Japanese police are almost always very professional and very hard working. No need to surrender your rights, but also no need to be rude about it.

s0ssos Apr 14, 2016 10:13 am
Originally Posted by evergrn (Post 26464667)
I hate this law (or the fact that they actually enforce it). It reeks of xenophobia. And if they're going to do this, they should at least approach foreigners with simple English and conduct their business in a manner that does not leave one to wonder whether it was legit or fraud.
So is English the language they speak in Japan, or the universal language all "foreigners" speak?

jib71 Apr 14, 2016 10:39 am
Originally Posted by s0ssos (Post 26484795)
So is English the language they speak in Japan, or the universal language all "foreigners" speak?
Neither. But it's the language that virtually all Japanese people and many visitors to Japan have studied.

invisible Apr 14, 2016 11:28 am
Originally Posted by jib71 (Post 26484923)
Neither. But it's the language that virtually all Japanese people and many visitors to Japan have studied.
Another question is how they succeed in that...


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