“So why, some have begun to ask, are foreigners who overstay their visa treated like common criminals?”
They broke the law. Why is this an issue?
>criminals treated as criminals
Okay?
Not really a massive surprise that would happen, as with any country in the world any visitor who doesn’t follow the laws should be deported.
Shouldn’t face any stigma for too long. Get charged, processed and then, “Sayonara”. 🛫
The entire point of the article seems to be that it’s not as bad as theft or murder, etc which is true, I guess, but just because there are worse crimes doesn’t mean it’s not a crime.
So you’re telling me we can’t “crime shame” anymore?
Japan just needs to glance across the Pacific to see the consequences when overstayers don’t face any stigma. It is one of the things I appreciate about living here. The law is by and large respected.
What happens when one overstays and work illegally in Japan (as far as I know)
1. Work illegally without proper visa: could only work the jobs that does not protect them or not seen in public
2. Receives pay in cash with tax excluded but had to endure power harassment from bosses who exploits them
3. Does not pay income tax or contribute to health insurance/pension. But will face lots of troubles finding a place that is willing to see them without insurance when sick.
4. Needs to hide and keep stealth to avoid police detection or trouble (mostly got caught due to report from surrounding people for making troubles)
5. Could only stay in cheap places where they don’t look at documents (mostly prepared by their employers which are in bad condition places or hidden from public)
6. Once caught, deported and may not enter Japan within 5 years(?)
[removed]
>Many foreigners are living in compliance with the law.
Couldn’t bring themselves to say “most”.
Probably because it’s a crime?
Definitely a crime and should be treated accordingly. Filipinos have always been stereotype overstayers and the arrested ones should be made examples of to deter this behavior.
To all the Americans answering a crime is a crime is a crime. Has Donald trump been convicted of any?
Just confirms again what many of us have said for years here: take away all the visa violations, and foreign crime in Japan is extremely low. Yet by what you see in the media and pushed by the cops, you’d think it was a major problem.
In my experience if you have good reason for your overstay the immigration office in Japan is usually willing to listen provide you can speak Japanese. They accept reason from accident to illness if you can convince them that you will leave as soon as you are able to they will extend your visa.
Criminal stigma for committing a crime? Who knew?
Enforcement of laws helps prevent the development of an underground, exploited class of workers by organised crime syndicates.
The National Association of Professional Criminals sees it very similarly
Well, at face value, they obviously **did** overstay their visa. Now, the main question would be: why? What happened?
The article very tangentially mentions amongst others “technical interns”. Knowing how many issues there are around that and how many of them seem to go AWOL per year, it is not difficult to link both issues.
On a different note and about (crime) shaming foreigners, I noticed **a lot** of it recently, going from the most ludicrous (foreigners are buying up all the rice and bring it home as souvenirs, hot springs are drying up because of foreigners (who, I guess are bringing back the water in 2L pet bottles to bath their feet when back home, eh?).
Then, accusations of “medical tourism” but also to milk the health system, to not pay their social expenses, taxes or pensions, and very recently the National Police Agency accusing foreigners to “sell” their bank accounts to criminal groups to use them for scamming Japanese nationals. A lot of accusations flying around and from the highest levels (political parties: LDP, Isshin, DPP are in on the gaijin-bashing wagon but also the actual effing Police!).
“*But under the bill being debated in the upper house, the minister of justice would be able to revoke permanent residency in cases where people deliberately don’t pay taxes or social insurance premiums.*”
Courtesy of who? Your not-so-friendly-neighborhood LDP, a party who has been caught having run for seemingly decades a slush-fund system where members of parliament would pocket sometimes very substantial amounts of money and exactly doing that: **not pay taxes on them**! To be fair, I guess the law should strip them of their Japanese nationality and throw them in the Pacific Ocean, then?
Something tells me this is so much not going to happen though…
A crime is a crime. As foreigners here we need to learn the laws and make sure we are following them. No matter how trivial it may seem.
Situations where you might be arrested:
Driving under the influence: This includes driving a bicycle under the influence, which can result in fines and even imprisonment.
Receiving extra change and not returning it: Knowingly pocketing change that was given in error can lead to legal trouble.
Splashing pedestrians with water while driving: It’s illegal to splash pedestrians with water from your vehicle.
If Europe did the same we would still have clean streets here
So let me get this straight, by leaving speeding as a violation (not a crime) Japanese people can put their fellow Japanese in genuine danger of death/disfigurement/paralysis/etc… and even if they’re pulled over for speeding it’s not a crime, but if foreigners stay an extra week in Japan it’s a crime.
That makes little sense to me.
The Japanese National Police Agency has published some interesting data. Incredibly, thugs seem to have a tendency to ignore administrative law.
“From its establishment on September 22, 1990, Izumisano Cross-cultural Association (ica) has promoted the cultural exchange between people from across the globe.”
Hmm 🧐 …1990. So the NGO was established at the time the Kurds began arriving. Coincidence, right?
Good. How is this bad..?
*El Salvador has entered the chat*
I guess what Shiena did has now become commonplace
I mean, it’s a serious crime for those who didn’t suffer a sudden accident or sudden event (an event which suddenly) happened and it’s a serious crime for those who aren’t “ponkatsu” (vtuber slang for clumsy, forgetful or executive function disorder).
Let me add that if one overstays by accident it’s OK too but how do we know that the other one (who overstayed) wasn’t malicious?
Obviously they wouldn’t be OK with it, in accordance with Reddiquette shouldn’t this be common sense?
B-b-b-but i dont have to follow the rules 😔👉👈 rules are only for the japanese i am freedom 😔👉👈
Biggest part is proving you are trying by speaking Japanese or showing that you are learning. It just shows you want to be there and are trying to conform. I really do think japan gets a bum rap in terms of peoples beliefs that Japan is anti immigration. They are just anti you not trying to adapt to Japan or expect Japan to adapt to you.
Deport em
The article is kinda funny. Neighbors questioned why the Filipino lady was treated like a criminal…..lol, because she violated the terms of her VISA which makes you staying in Japan illegal.
33 comments
What’s that introduction man
“So why, some have begun to ask, are foreigners who overstay their visa treated like common criminals?”
They broke the law. Why is this an issue?
>criminals treated as criminals
Okay?
Not really a massive surprise that would happen, as with any country in the world any visitor who doesn’t follow the laws should be deported.
Shouldn’t face any stigma for too long. Get charged, processed and then, “Sayonara”. 🛫
The entire point of the article seems to be that it’s not as bad as theft or murder, etc which is true, I guess, but just because there are worse crimes doesn’t mean it’s not a crime.
So you’re telling me we can’t “crime shame” anymore?
Japan just needs to glance across the Pacific to see the consequences when overstayers don’t face any stigma. It is one of the things I appreciate about living here. The law is by and large respected.
What happens when one overstays and work illegally in Japan (as far as I know)
1. Work illegally without proper visa: could only work the jobs that does not protect them or not seen in public
2. Receives pay in cash with tax excluded but had to endure power harassment from bosses who exploits them
3. Does not pay income tax or contribute to health insurance/pension. But will face lots of troubles finding a place that is willing to see them without insurance when sick.
4. Needs to hide and keep stealth to avoid police detection or trouble (mostly got caught due to report from surrounding people for making troubles)
5. Could only stay in cheap places where they don’t look at documents (mostly prepared by their employers which are in bad condition places or hidden from public)
6. Once caught, deported and may not enter Japan within 5 years(?)
[removed]
>Many foreigners are living in compliance with the law.
Couldn’t bring themselves to say “most”.
Probably because it’s a crime?
Definitely a crime and should be treated accordingly. Filipinos have always been stereotype overstayers and the arrested ones should be made examples of to deter this behavior.
To all the Americans answering a crime is a crime is a crime. Has Donald trump been convicted of any?
Just confirms again what many of us have said for years here: take away all the visa violations, and foreign crime in Japan is extremely low. Yet by what you see in the media and pushed by the cops, you’d think it was a major problem.
In my experience if you have good reason for your overstay the immigration office in Japan is usually willing to listen provide you can speak Japanese. They accept reason from accident to illness if you can convince them that you will leave as soon as you are able to they will extend your visa.
Criminal stigma for committing a crime? Who knew?
Enforcement of laws helps prevent the development of an underground, exploited class of workers by organised crime syndicates.
The National Association of Professional Criminals sees it very similarly
Well, at face value, they obviously **did** overstay their visa. Now, the main question would be: why? What happened?
The article very tangentially mentions amongst others “technical interns”. Knowing how many issues there are around that and how many of them seem to go AWOL per year, it is not difficult to link both issues.
[https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-immigration/Nearly-10-000-foreign-workers-missing-from-Japan-s-intern-program](https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-immigration/Nearly-10-000-foreign-workers-missing-from-Japan-s-intern-program)
On a different note and about (crime) shaming foreigners, I noticed **a lot** of it recently, going from the most ludicrous (foreigners are buying up all the rice and bring it home as souvenirs, hot springs are drying up because of foreigners (who, I guess are bringing back the water in 2L pet bottles to bath their feet when back home, eh?).
Then, accusations of “medical tourism” but also to milk the health system, to not pay their social expenses, taxes or pensions, and very recently the National Police Agency accusing foreigners to “sell” their bank accounts to criminal groups to use them for scamming Japanese nationals. A lot of accusations flying around and from the highest levels (political parties: LDP, Isshin, DPP are in on the gaijin-bashing wagon but also the actual effing Police!).
Then, there was also this last year:
[https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240528/p2a/00m/0op/013000c](https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240528/p2a/00m/0op/013000c)
“*But under the bill being debated in the upper house, the minister of justice would be able to revoke permanent residency in cases where people deliberately don’t pay taxes or social insurance premiums.*”
Courtesy of who? Your not-so-friendly-neighborhood LDP, a party who has been caught having run for seemingly decades a slush-fund system where members of parliament would pocket sometimes very substantial amounts of money and exactly doing that: **not pay taxes on them**! To be fair, I guess the law should strip them of their Japanese nationality and throw them in the Pacific Ocean, then?
Something tells me this is so much not going to happen though…
A crime is a crime. As foreigners here we need to learn the laws and make sure we are following them. No matter how trivial it may seem.
Situations where you might be arrested:
Driving under the influence: This includes driving a bicycle under the influence, which can result in fines and even imprisonment.
Receiving extra change and not returning it: Knowingly pocketing change that was given in error can lead to legal trouble.
Splashing pedestrians with water while driving: It’s illegal to splash pedestrians with water from your vehicle.
If Europe did the same we would still have clean streets here
So let me get this straight, by leaving speeding as a violation (not a crime) Japanese people can put their fellow Japanese in genuine danger of death/disfigurement/paralysis/etc… and even if they’re pulled over for speeding it’s not a crime, but if foreigners stay an extra week in Japan it’s a crime.
That makes little sense to me.
The Japanese National Police Agency has published some interesting data. Incredibly, thugs seem to have a tendency to ignore administrative law.
[https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h16/hakusho/h16/html/F5401040.html](https://www.npa.go.jp/hakusyo/h16/hakusho/h16/html/F5401040.html)
“The word ‘illegal’ itself gives a negative impression…”
Yes, that’s kind of the point. Who is this author? Absurd how she’s advocating for illegal immigration. It’s anti-Japanese.
Edit: she’s a graduate student who has spoken at Izumisano Cross-cultural Association (ica), an NGO:
[https://www.ica.gr.jp/wp/en/challenges-foreign-children-face-in-japanese-society/7372](https://www.ica.gr.jp/wp/en/challenges-foreign-children-face-in-japanese-society/7372)
It highlighted how the Kurds “came to Japan around 1990’s” and that “it is considered an unauthorized stay”.
[https://www.ica.gr.jp/wp/en/about](https://www.ica.gr.jp/wp/en/about)
“From its establishment on September 22, 1990, Izumisano Cross-cultural Association (ica) has promoted the cultural exchange between people from across the globe.”
Hmm 🧐 …1990. So the NGO was established at the time the Kurds began arriving. Coincidence, right?
Good. How is this bad..?
*El Salvador has entered the chat*
I guess what Shiena did has now become commonplace
I mean, it’s a serious crime for those who didn’t suffer a sudden accident or sudden event (an event which suddenly) happened and it’s a serious crime for those who aren’t “ponkatsu” (vtuber slang for clumsy, forgetful or executive function disorder).
Let me add that if one overstays by accident it’s OK too but how do we know that the other one (who overstayed) wasn’t malicious?
Obviously they wouldn’t be OK with it, in accordance with Reddiquette shouldn’t this be common sense?
B-b-b-but i dont have to follow the rules 😔👉👈 rules are only for the japanese i am freedom 😔👉👈
Biggest part is proving you are trying by speaking Japanese or showing that you are learning. It just shows you want to be there and are trying to conform. I really do think japan gets a bum rap in terms of peoples beliefs that Japan is anti immigration. They are just anti you not trying to adapt to Japan or expect Japan to adapt to you.
Deport em
The article is kinda funny. Neighbors questioned why the Filipino lady was treated like a criminal…..lol, because she violated the terms of her VISA which makes you staying in Japan illegal.