Japan¡¯s police are at it again: Lying about the law.
A reader with the pseudonym Onur recently wrote to me about his experience in the city of Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, when he checked into a hotel. Even though Onur clearly indicated he was a legal resident of Japan with a domestic address, clerks demanded he present his passport for photocopying. They pointed to a sign issued by the Ibaraki Prefectural Police (see photo).
But that poster has three great big stripy lies: 1) ¡°Every foreign guest must present their passport¡± 2) ¡°which must be photocopied¡± 3) ¡°under the Hotel Business Law¡± ¡ª which states none of these things. Not to mention that Japan¡¯s registered foreign residents are not required to carry around passports anyway.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.