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Even though I’m more of a reader and don’t tend to stick to forums all that much, I thought I’d take a second to share something that’s relevant particularly to anyone else living in, traveling, or planning to travel to Japan. There are likely going to be some serious changes to Japanese immigration in the next couple decades but for now there’s a pretty interesting article on what it’s like for a quite a few unlucky travelers each year going through Narita airport.
http://globalite.posterous.com/inside-the-gaijin-tank-dungeon-at-narita-airp-91122
I remember having a close call myself when I didn’t have an address to put on my arrival form, but I suppose speaking a little Japanese and allowing the dog to sniff my bag not once, twice, but six times was enough for the otherwise very amiable immigration officer. It wasn’t all that exciting, considering the last time I was detained in the US for carrying camera equipment that I had built which apparently looked like a bomb because it “didn’t have a brand name” on it. *whew, anyway*
I’m sure there are a few people who will find this article interesting, especially if you’ve ever researched (or just been interested in) foreign and comparative politics. That being said, I love Japan and I hope everyone gets a chance to visit! ;)
Sounds a little exaggerated to me. I would expect more sources from a serious reporter, and probably a (much) shorter article. Besides, if things were truly that bad, I would imagine it would have been covered more in the media.
Also, the site reads: “News, photos and fiction from around the world”. The fiction part seems about right to me. All that being said, it’s a bit scary to read, isn’t it?EDIT: Out of pure curiosity, how did you come across the article?
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This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by
ルイ.
I got that impression as well, though it is a known issue and there are plenty of reports from Amnesty International that reflect the same issues. As the event is quite recent it’s not surprising and honestly, understandingly hot-headed reaction to the situation. As well the author has been an investigative reporter for Reuters and the AP. Edit: The “flare” is probably a result of his past in television and fiction, but doesn’t get in the way too much. I’m sure this story will be rewritten once his head clears a little and it makes its way to publication.
The part of the story that is most effective is how he describes the interaction between the security official and the older Japanese policeman. That, while you may be a perfectly agreeable human being, the culture of abide first, inquire later can lead to quite the sticky situation with little to no cause.
Edit 2: Sorry, I’m in a cafe now with pretty slow internet. I’ve been researching immigration customs while looking into my visa options. I don’t remember exactly what my webtrail was, but I saw it the other day and had it added to my reading list and he just revised it a little today before I posted it. It was either from Google or one of a few expat forums, perhaps the r/Japan subreddit?
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This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by
AnonymousTLDR
Well the discussion elsewhere has ballooned since it was posted to the Economist, so reddit, Debito, Hikosaemon, etc. are all over it. Lots of unknowns and, well, just talk since the “article” is about as haphazard as the events.
tl;dr: White guy who has been a journalist in Tokyo for over 15 years goes to Korea to report on some stuff, comes back, gets thrown into Narita’s dungeon without being told why, guards threaten him and extort a pricy one way ticket, deport him to Canada and completely screwing him and the legal grey area of airport international zones. Oh, and the popular theory at the moment is that he was cheating on his visa by using a tourist visa, but this just sounds to stupid to be true and everyone is trying to get more details.
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This reply was modified 12 years, 4 months ago by
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