Police to test body cameras to record street questioning

Police officers will start wearing the name card-sized cameras mounted on the chest or side of the head from next fiscal year to record their duties and provide evidence in cases of traffic violations and control crowd situations, it said.

I suspect in the places this trial run will be conducted a sudden drop in stop and frisks and show me your residence card to Western looking foreigners. Bad for the inbound tourist image.

A move in the right direction. How how about videoing interrogations and allowing suspects to see lawyers?

to record street questioning

They can record the street but for interrogation only 3% of total interrogation being recorded.

https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/05/25/japans-hostage-justice-system/denial-bail-coerced-confessions-and-lack-access

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Show me your residence card to Western looking foreigners

An ex-officer said it was part of their instruction. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240427/p2a/00m/0na/019000c

a sudden drop in stop and frisks and show me your residence card to Western looking foreigners. Bad for the inbound tourist image.

Nothing will change in this respect. Foreigners living in Japan are legally obliged to show either a passport or residence card unless they have special permanent residence. The police are well within their rights to ask for your proof of stay over here.

This story was in Japanese news yesterday. To put some perspective on it, there will be a grand total of 76 cameras across the country.

@Jayel

Foreigners living in Japan are legally obliged to show either a passport or residence card unless they have special permanent residence. 

Foreigner obliged to show when being asked but Japanese person who looks like foreigner doesn't need to do that.

How can you tell which one is foreigner which is Japanese with foreign look? Some of them got Japanese Nationalities through naturalization, while others get it from their parent.

So how can they tell the different, only based on how they look?

https://apnews.com/article/japan-police-lawsuit-discrimination-0b474ea7222ba3924e8e5abafa3981b5

Social media uploads in recent years of people being stopped and questioned by officers have prompted complaints to the police or the National Public Safety Commission by members of the public, the police said.

Well, here's an idea: just stop doing it. And I know that there are some countries in the west where this disgusting behavior is also legal. Stopping random people on the street when they have done nothing wrong is the mark of a police state not a free one.

"There are cases in which some scenes cut off abruptly" in the uploaded videos, a police agency official said, adding the wearable camera footage would allow verification that procedures were followed appropriately.

Probably the civilian being stopped decided to film their interrogation and got told by the copper to stop.

It appears that the footage will be used ‘to provide evidence in cases of traffic violations’…..so it won’t be used against the police if they break the laws, in that case the footage will conveniently disappear after a week.

As noted in the post above by @sakurasuki there’s no way for police to distinguish between Japanese nationals of non-Japanese or mixed ethnic origin, and racial profiling is indeed rife throughout this country. There are many japanese of Japanese parentage who look “foreign” too, and various minorities in Japan that are often marginalized. The ridiculous rules about even permanent resident visa holders being required to furnish their residence cards at all times if stopped by police, or potentially risk having their residency revoked only speaks more to this xenophobic attitude. Being able to show valid identification if asked, or a passport or residence card if necessary, is the law, but a bit more transparency about who exactly is being stopped and questioned and how police behave with people they deem to be foreign is an important step toward Japan acknowledging the diversity that has long existed here despite the myth of a homogenous nation.

This is a step in the right direction to make the J-cops accountable for their unfair treatment of foreigners. When it comes to dealing with foreigners they are nothing more than a bully with a badge.

With the technology available, of course they should wear these cameras. And also, interrogations at the police stations should be recorded. However, I do not think the prosecutors will like that.

whole-in-the-donutToday  08:51 am JST

The ridiculous rules about even permanent resident visa holders being required to furnish their residence cards at all times if stopped by police, or potentially risk having their residency revoked only speaks more to this xenophobic attitude.

I am always puzzled by the comments about Foreigners in Japan having to carry their Zairyu Cards (Including Permanent Residents) on them at all times, as if it's some form of undue discrimination.

This is common practice throughout the world.

Permanent Residents (Green Card holders) in the United States are required by law to carry their Green Card (Form I-551) with them at all times. According to the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), it is mandatory for any lawful permanent resident who is 18 years of age or older to have their Green Card in their possession. Failure to do so may result in Jail time.

This is common practice throughout the world.

You might need to do better than just provide information about the US to back up your assertion it is common throughout the world. I am not saying you are wrong but it's an awfully American thing to do.

@Moonraker

Please feel free to give us a list of countries where a foreigner with a Permanent Residence Visa status does not have to carry the card on them.

they should allow video recording of japanese trial. the BS circus and violation of human rights will stop immediately.

The logic I've heard behind making green card holders carry those cards in America is that "We allow dual citizenship; why are you choosing not to become a citizen and instead live here permanently without taking on that responsibility?" It's a naive attitude because the countries these immigrants are coming from might not allow them to acquire American citizenship without giving up the one they were born with, but it's a perspective I hadn't considered, being in Japan where you cannot become a dual citizen and have to "settle" for long-term or permanent residency.

Also the scope of who can ask to see a green card in the US -- immigration officials, basically -- is extremely limited compared to Japan where the police force is nationalized, every officer has the power to stop people on the street, there is no public/media pushback against police using race and appearance to target people, and there is a police box in every neighborhood. In the US a PR could go about their daily lives for years without ever having occasion to show a green card to anyone.

Please feel free to give us a list of countries where a foreigner with a Permanent Residence Visa status does not have to carry the card on them.

It's not my responsibility, since you are making the assertion. I am not gonna do your job. And my point is that yours is a singularly American way of presenting the argument.

To warn members of the public that a camera has been activated, the police are considering requiring officers to wear armbands, the agency said.

To warn the public? Maybe they should warn their own staff of police officers?

This "should" cut down on crimes committed by police officers, or one would think.

On the other hand, maybe not. Since a lot of the illegal activity done by dirty cops in Japan are committed when they are "off duty."

Lindsay

This is a step in the right direction to make the J-cops accountable for their unfair treatment of foreigners. When it comes to dealing with foreigners they are nothing more than a bully with a badge.

No video will be released showing police mistreating foreigners. The body-cam footage will be used to contradict negative videos of police posted to social media.

I'm sure they will turn off their cameras at "convenient" times just like USA cops do. It's part of the culture.

Why not start with recording these marathon interrogation sessions the police conduct at the station?

I don’t see anything in this article that indicates who will have access to these recordings. It’s entirely possible that this footage will only be shared with the public in instances where the police were in the right. Then, any interactions which make them look bad could be much harder to get ahold of. It would be great if anyone stopped by the police had the right to request footage of the interaction.

As it was mentioned a couple of times, all the Nordic countries do not require residents (irrespective of nationality) to carry an ID or passport. The police can detain you for the purpose of identification, but they can do that in regard to a national as well.

The asking for passport/Residence Card is a bit of a grey zone (IMHO). The police can always ask and request, but for shokumu shitsumon 職務質問 the police must have sufficient probable cause to suspect that the person has committed or is about to commit a crime. It could be argued that if the police doesn't have that the request can be ignored.

now can that data be demanded to show racial profiling of the number of foreign looking people being stop vs stereotypical Japanese Asian look?

Waiting for the sudden “the camera just so happened to not be on at the time of major event where police are on the chopping block” or in Japans case, using it or having it on during some insanely inappropriate moments

@Bobby Franks @rosujin

Exactly, we've seen in the past only certain part of fact or story being cherry picked which not represent the whole actual fact by JGovt. Only just show their part of story, same thing will just continue with those wearable camera too in the future.

I have never had a negative interaction with police in Japan nor felt they were targeting me. I am Caucasian.

However, in my home country, Canada, I feel that the police are specifically stopping Caucasians at random now for no reasonable cause and without suspicion so they can slant the statistics when they stop a non-Caucasian person shoplifting. For every police interaction with a non-Caucasian person for an actual suspected crime, they need to record 5 interactions (for no reason) with a Caucasian person.

@proxy

My son ( foreign father / Korean mother) was stopped recently in Tokyo.

He was born in Japan, speaks fluent japanese as it's his mother tongue.

Six police surrounded him at 11:30 am going to university.

Checked his bag, pockets.

It went on for over 20 minutes.

His crime, having a "foreign " face.

He was so upset.

Basically disgraceful.

I am from Europe and living in Japan since more than 40 years. I have no bad experience so far with Japanese police. I had some police checks in the past of course, rarely while walking around, mostly when riding my motorcycle and it is impossible for the police officer to know if I am a foreigner or Japanese because of my motorcycle helmet. Also some police checks when driving my car during late night, just react friendly to them, show them my driving license and resident card, and a few minutes later continue to move on. Never refused a breathalyzer test, I do not drink alcohol. My valid documents are always with me when going out of my home and if a police officer wants to see them, I have no problem with that.

It's about time.

Better late than never, but then what's the point if NO ONE can view these videos except the police,

And one more thing, how about giving the victims a copy of the police report too, my friend place was robbed last year and when he asked for a police report he was told NO reports will be given!! it's like why report if it can't be reported, LOL

Not even a report or case number # was given to him so he can never go back and check on progress. Simply unbelievable.

the problem with body cameras is on/off buttons.

May be it is the case of all people to wear body cameras, Big Brother, we all should be ready to record what we see, what we say. There are several examples of reduction of fatal casualties by the police wearing body cameras. Police officers worldwide should use it, to protect themselves, avoid being accused of abuse, good security officers would have a proof of good conduct. Hope that wearing body cameras be implemented as soon as possible for all who have some level of authority, specially those who carry deadly weapons.