Comments on Hiko's Blog: Japan -- How Bad is Japanese Immigration? [UPDATED...

I too got the impression he was being antagonistic...

2012-01-30T14:21:55.581+09:00

I too got the impression he was being antagonistic from the discussion he had written in greater detail near the end. On top of this, I agree with the interpreter that he was avoiding answering the questions... for a guy whos lived in Japan for so long, I'd think he'd know better than to handle himself in that way, so I'm not sure if he's done something wrong and isn't telling us.

I'm not sure what to think about his debriefing... as in the guy who provided the appeal forms. I kind of feel there was a bit of a psychological trick played upon Mr. Johnson there. Where the guy doing the debriefing was just talking negatively about the immigration officials to try and appear a bit more approachable. Then advocating he write down his negative comments so that way Mr. Johnson would appear more antagonistic and thus have his appeal denied.

However, again, as a guy who's lived there for so long... why couldn't he see through this!? I haven't lived in Japan for a very long time, and that seemed like plain as day to me.

there are similar accounts listed by Amnesty Inter...

2012-01-24T20:15:25.185+09:00

there are similar accounts listed by Amnesty International so perhaps they are using a dodgy security firm.

but it is interesting to see the corroborating accounts in other cases cited by Amnesty International.

Have you read the AI report? If you have read it I have some questions.

Regarding Australian immigration, I thoroughly enj...

2012-01-24T01:37:43.425+09:00

Regarding Australian immigration, I thoroughly enjoy watching the AU show "Border Security - Australia's Front Line" on YouTube. My favorite episode is the guy in New Zealand who's visiting relatives for a family event. Apparently, Australian and New Zealand's crime databases are well-linked, because they pulled him aside for a felony. What felony? Oh, nothing, big, just BURGLARLY AND ASSAULT AND 12 MONTHS IN PRISON. But he pleads his case, saying how he's a reformed man and he was young and it was a long time ago, and this is a family wedding, which he'll never be able to attend again. AND THEY LET HIM IN! I remember thinking, "wow, letting non-Australian former convicts with assualt with deadly weapon charges into the country. I'm obviously not cut out for AU immigration. I'm too tough. I wouldn't have let him in."

My other thought about watching a lot of Border Patrol: immigration takes a lot of abuse. Granted, they could be editing or not filming the bits where immigration abuses other people. But I'm amazed at how much people verbally assault these people considering how if they're not Australian, they're under no obligation to let them in the country. It's a lot like watching the U.S. show COPS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOOzqgyNAvM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U0dH9ml9Tc

When I enter the Sydney airport I sometimes see the warning about them filming and the notice about how I should notify them if I don't want to be filmed. But I WANT to be filmed! Alas, they never do. And they never ask me tough questions either. I guess I'm boring.

I wish they had a version of "Border Security" for Japan. They'd probably cancel it due to lack of exciting content, much like the Japanese mini-versions of "COPS".

I go to Sydney next week. Last year, I showed them my US passport because that was what my visa was connected to. This year, my visa is connected to my Japanese passport. Let's see if they do anything different. :)

P.S. Australia Border Security DOES let in dodgy Americans with incorrect visas, who get cheeky and fesses up to fibbing (in a semi-respectful way), into the country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POd94c6er80 What's up with that, Hiko? :)

He's very peripheral as a "journalist,&qu...

2012-01-23T14:53:54.215+09:00

He's very peripheral as a "journalist," and not to denigrate your and others' fine blogging efforts, but his blog is rife with errors and quite amateurish, while containing published writing examples of a similarly low calibre. Like you, I suspect his visa status might not wholly been in order, and personally wonder if his off-again, on-again residency since 1989 harboured any unmet tax obligations or other pertinent facts that have been omitted from the narrative. All in all, he appears to be just another dodgy gaijin (and I'm no Japan apologist by any stretch). YMMV.

It could be anything. In many ways, this case brin...

2012-01-21T13:52:13.755+09:00

It could be anything. In many ways, this case brings home how much of a small town Tokyo is for English speaking expats. I've been contacted by people who I know and trust who know this guy and have vouched for his character, and others who have done the opposite. I'm very anxious that this not become like other forums on the web that are turning to focus more on Mr. Johnson's character, than his account and allegations of what happened.

I think what is important to remember here is that no one is disputing that Mr. Johnson has lived in Japan, on and off, but largely consistently since 1989. When you live in any country that long, deportation is absolutely the worst nightmare scenario for any resident - worse I think even than prison. Political prisoners often face years of "house arrest" in dictatorships, yet this is the exact opposite. It is a kind of arrest where you are not allowed to visit your home, your loved ones, your job. It effectively ends your entire life instantly. And even more scarily, whereas crimes are defined as being acts done with a "criminal intent", deportable immigration defenses are often more to do with misunderstandings, mistakes, or oversight on the part of the deportee.

To be returning to your home of 23 years and to be suddenly told your paperwork is out of order, and you are not only going to be sent to a country you barely have any connection with any longer, but you will be banned from coming to Japan for at least 5 years - and by extension threatening the existence of every aspect of your life in Japan... That would be scary as Hell.

I think that kind of situation is the kind of situation that would bring out the "fight or flight" instincts in a person. I know that I'm a "flight" oriented type - and would probably sheepishly comply while being devastated at what is happening. It sounds by his own account like Mr. Johnson's "fight" instincts kicked in, which I find to be entirely understandable, and even admirable on some level if true, even if they ultimately added to his ordeal.

In the end of the day, how Mr. Johnson reacted to what for him must have already been an emotionally devastating situation is his business, and forgivable in my mind in light of the circumstances.

The real key here is whether his allegations of extortion, assault with a deadly weapon, etc. are true or not. However he reacted to his deportation, assault, robbery, and serious criminal acts not justified by any conduct on Mr. Johnson's part. I reiterate that Mr. Johnson is open about leaving important parts of his story out, and that I find other parts of his account as given to be hard to believe.

I don't know the truth, but given the seriousness of the allegations, I hope it comes out and the full story is made clear.

Interesting to hear that - I wouldn't be surpr...

2012-01-21T13:37:00.228+09:00

Interesting to hear that - I wouldn't be surprised if MoFA tracks foreign reporting on Japan, but if they do, it is remarkable that they allow so much of it to go unquestioned and unchallenged where such reporting is inaccurate. The other aspect that doesn't check out is that he has been in Japan since 1989, so perhaps there was a recent change to his work or visa status - I don't know. It would be interesting to know more about how the Japanese MoFA goes about tracking reporting on Japan.

Cheers

Could it be a case of "Do you know who I am&q...

2012-01-21T12:48:19.099+09:00

Could it be a case of "Do you know who I am"?

Hey Kat - Victor mentioned that you know him. I do...

2012-01-20T14:21:48.991+09:00

Hey Kat - Victor mentioned that you know him. I don't know the guy, and sincerely hope that his very disturbing claims are thoroughly investigated.

It must be just his visa status. If he is working ...

2012-01-20T14:21:14.254+09:00

It must be just his visa status. If he is working as a reporter without a journalist visa, they have all the right to deport him.

I know from experience that embassies abroad check very carefully what appears in foreign press about Japan and this is all reported back to Japan. So the activities, names of every foreign reporter that regurlarly writes on Japan for major publications are known with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They probably checked him against the visa database, found out he was living and working in Japan as a journalist without the proper papers, and made a note in the database. Next time he entered Japan, his visa was denied. If had written critical articles, that probably didn't help, but I doubt it is the main reason.

Chris is a friend of mine, a very gentle hearted m...

2012-01-20T14:09:56.892+09:00

Chris is a friend of mine, a very gentle hearted man who loves Japan with all his heart and has been a reporter here for a long time.

US is high, but I don't know if it is THAT hig...

2012-01-19T21:45:59.319+09:00

US is high, but I don't know if it is THAT high nationwide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conviction_rate

Japan has a 99% conviction rate because the system here is that if you are charged, you are pretty much automatically convicted. Almost no one ever gets off - the 1% is almost entirely where prosecutors let it happen. And in the rare cases not-guilty is given, prosecutors still have three levels of appeal and the suspect remains in jail while the appeals escalate, so acquittal is not enough. Basically, you just never want to get charged with anything here - it's very hard to get out of.

I don't know exactly what happens in the Ibaraki detention center - from what I understand, it is Japan's answer to "county lockup". It isn't a prison so much as a holding jail. The thing is however that conditions there are tough - tougher than Japanese prison, and people held there are in limbo, unable to contact anyone and often not told anything for days and sometimes weeks and months not knowing what is going on or when they will be moved out. Also note that in Japan, interrogators are also responsible for detainee welfare, so they can use things like sleep and food as interrogation tools - and they will be subject to interrogations and be encouraged to sign waivers and confessions to facilitate their deportation while in detention.

I don't know much details (the Amnesty report gives some) but from what I know, people come out of it like they have been held hostage or kept in solitary - genuinely psychologically messed up by the place. Japanese prison is rough, but from what I understand, it is better than immigration detention.

Note however that the guy in this case never actually went through that - he was just stuck in immigration custody at Narita for a day, so he still got off relatively lucky. From what I understand, immigration detention is more for people who have committed serious criminal offenses in addition to their visa crimes.

Banyan is a regular column in the printed edition ...

2012-01-19T21:35:45.873+09:00

Banyan is a regular column in the printed edition of the Economist - I'm not sure if they have a non-printed offline version... I guess we will know when this week's edition comes out. I'd be shocked if they actually ran this in print, but even on their blog - I don't think just because they publish on a blog as opposed to print that they should suddenly lower their standards to National Inquirer level. I guess we will have to see.

There'd be many things to say about this (both...

2012-01-19T21:28:35.456+09:00

There'd be many things to say about this (both the story and the treatment), but I think it's worth pointing out that, unless I'm mistaken, this is not reported in "The Economist", but in a *blog* hosted by the Economist... Not entirely sure what the publishing policies for these are, but I'd venture it's a lot less stringent...

Why is it that Japan has a 99% conviction rate? Ac...

2012-01-19T20:32:25.951+09:00

Why is it that Japan has a 99% conviction rate? Actually, America has a 95% "conviction" rate if you factor in guilty pleas, because most cases are decided by plea bargain, which is also close to the goal of the Japanese legal system.

You also neglect to explain what it is that happens at a detention center. People get wrecked there, but not because they are being made to sleep on tatami mats or woken up when they doze off in a waiting room. You will be supplied with creature comforts, but you are also forced to attend all-day interrogations for days on end run by people who want you to feel very guilty. The fact that he was let go quickly, and that he refuses to explain why he was there, suggests that he admitted his guilt sometime shortly after arriving, and the rest of the account is just how he was processed to leave.