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tl;dr = Got stopped by the police while driving, argument ensues, I go home without a ticket.
Well, I suppose it was inevitable, it was just a matter of time before it happened...
For the years I've spent in Japan, I've never really had an issue with the Japanese police aside from their random ID checking or bag check, which I had not experienced for a long time.
This time, I was driving in Tokyo, around the Tokyo Station/Yurakucho area. Again, previously, no previous incident during the period which I've been driving in Japan.
So , I approach a signal to turn left and I had started to move over where I was permitted to (white, dotted line) which transitioned over to a yellow solid line (not supposed to cross) -- 95% of my car was within the yellow lines, except for the right-rear corner of my car. The car in front of me stopped sooner than I expected for the light, so I could not get 100% over to the left side to make sure I was completely in the yellow lines.
After I'm stopped, this police officer comes running over to my window and urges me to roll-down the window. He started off very rude and basically berated me for my car being over the yellow line... and he said he had to write it up and to pull over to the side after the turn... which I did.
No, I had some friends in the car, which really didn't speak much English and my Japanese is functional when I want it to be. In this case, I forgot my Japanese since this guy was being a dick.... which my Japanese friends were shocked at this rudeness.
So, we start the back and forth of me not agreeing with his idea of the situation. He claims that I crossed the yellow line period... like I didn't start where it was white. (bullshit, I did.) His attitude was generally bad and I just shutdown the Japanese attempts and just switched to English, which pissed him off, I think.
The other guy working with him, refused to get involved which made me suspicious. So, I asked him to get someone that could speak English or bring me his supervisor. He said "I don't have a supervisor..." again, bullshit... lol. I'm like, dude, you're not the top guy. So, find me who your boss is and bring him to me, now.
He walked away after that and talked to his partner, who really looked like he didn't want to get involved. He then came back to the passenger side and tried to talk to my friends and said "You really don't speak any English?" (he wanted them to translate) -- My friends were like "Why should we help translate for you just so you can give a ticket to our friend?" .... lol. --- I told him that I didn't believe what he was saying and he said essentially "I saw it, you don't have to believe me." so then I said, "So, I can take this to court?" and "You don't have any proof or other witness, right?" -- he replied, "No, I don't need it, I saw it." -- I said "Sorry, don't believe you, let's finish this so we can go... you're wasting my time." --- "I'll take this to court and file a complaint about your approach and trying to give me something that you know I can't read." etc. etc. (In hindsight, I was a dick..but he deserved it.)
So, this back and forth went on for about 10 minutes and he finally gave up. He just gave me a verbal warning and let me go... Not sure what made that happen, he was bound and determined to write a ticket originally.
The problem I had with this, mainly was around his attitude. His first approach and further attitude really put me off and it's not what I would have expected.
Just wanted to vent a bit, I'm still in a bit of a rage over this today... even though it happened awhile ago now.
Well, I suppose it was inevitable, it was just a matter of time before it happened...
For the years I've spent in Japan, I've never really had an issue with the Japanese police aside from their random ID checking or bag check, which I had not experienced for a long time.
This time, I was driving in Tokyo, around the Tokyo Station/Yurakucho area. Again, previously, no previous incident during the period which I've been driving in Japan.
So , I approach a signal to turn left and I had started to move over where I was permitted to (white, dotted line) which transitioned over to a yellow solid line (not supposed to cross) -- 95% of my car was within the yellow lines, except for the right-rear corner of my car. The car in front of me stopped sooner than I expected for the light, so I could not get 100% over to the left side to make sure I was completely in the yellow lines.
After I'm stopped, this police officer comes running over to my window and urges me to roll-down the window. He started off very rude and basically berated me for my car being over the yellow line... and he said he had to write it up and to pull over to the side after the turn... which I did.
No, I had some friends in the car, which really didn't speak much English and my Japanese is functional when I want it to be. In this case, I forgot my Japanese since this guy was being a dick.... which my Japanese friends were shocked at this rudeness.
So, we start the back and forth of me not agreeing with his idea of the situation. He claims that I crossed the yellow line period... like I didn't start where it was white. (bullshit, I did.) His attitude was generally bad and I just shutdown the Japanese attempts and just switched to English, which pissed him off, I think.
The other guy working with him, refused to get involved which made me suspicious. So, I asked him to get someone that could speak English or bring me his supervisor. He said "I don't have a supervisor..." again, bullshit... lol. I'm like, dude, you're not the top guy. So, find me who your boss is and bring him to me, now.
He walked away after that and talked to his partner, who really looked like he didn't want to get involved. He then came back to the passenger side and tried to talk to my friends and said "You really don't speak any English?" (he wanted them to translate) -- My friends were like "Why should we help translate for you just so you can give a ticket to our friend?" .... lol. --- I told him that I didn't believe what he was saying and he said essentially "I saw it, you don't have to believe me." so then I said, "So, I can take this to court?" and "You don't have any proof or other witness, right?" -- he replied, "No, I don't need it, I saw it." -- I said "Sorry, don't believe you, let's finish this so we can go... you're wasting my time." --- "I'll take this to court and file a complaint about your approach and trying to give me something that you know I can't read." etc. etc. (In hindsight, I was a dick..but he deserved it.)
So, this back and forth went on for about 10 minutes and he finally gave up. He just gave me a verbal warning and let me go... Not sure what made that happen, he was bound and determined to write a ticket originally.
The problem I had with this, mainly was around his attitude. His first approach and further attitude really put me off and it's not what I would have expected.
Just wanted to vent a bit, I'm still in a bit of a rage over this today... even though it happened awhile ago now.