Common types of Japanese legal domestic photo identification
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| "koban" polic○officers spend much ofe giving directions |
A "police box" is like a mini-police station that usually has no more than one or two officers (male or female) in it, and often contains no more than a single desk and room for office supplies and perhaps a police bicycle. These days in the 21st century they are often unmanned for much of the time, and they may be equipped with a self-service video terminal with a phone should you need help and nobody is there. Of course, Japan has proper police stations. However, these police boxes are everywhere around the country, helping keep police embedded and connected and familiar with the communities they patrol.
It's unusual to see more than two police officers around my police box, and the police officers that are assigned to "koban" tend to be older. Tonight, however, there were about five officers around the station area and "koban": the usual two older men, and three very young officers.
The younger officers appeared to be on the street for training, learning to interact with real live (not simulated encounters at the training academy) pedestrians. Many people disembarking from a train that late in the evening probably had a few drinks due to it being Friday night. When these officers approach people and engage them in chit-chat, they are not necessarily doing so because they suspect them of doing anything wrong. Learning to deal with real live random individuals while wearing the uniform is something they must learn to do.
A young officer (he looked like he was in his early to mid twenties) approached me, being very polite, and spoke to me in Japanese. I was returning home after a couple drinks (I was not visibly drunk or inebriated, but I would not have been legal to drive).
Officer: "Excuse me, but we're currently working around this area. I know you're busy, but may I ask you some questions?"
Me: "Sure."
Officer: "Can I have your name please?"
Me: "Inoue."
Officer: "Oh, I see."
I then volunteered (thinking the name "Inoue" might cause him to think a bit), without him asking, "I have Japanese nationality."
Officer: "Oh, I see. Thank you for your cooperation. Sorry to have taken your time."I was very surprised that the officer did not ask for any sort of identification. Perhaps he intended to, but either me speaking Japanese or me giving him a Japanese family name or me then volunteering that I was not a foreigner "threw him off the script."
How often is one stopped on the street and asked for identification?
Every situation is different. The odds of being stopped by a police officer on the street and asked to provide identification depend on whether you live in an urban environment, whether that urban environment is near a (relative) high crime area such as a nightlife area, and whether any special activities are going on.
For example, police routinely stop bicycles at night, regardless if the rider appears to be Japanese or not Japanese. This is both to check for stolen bicycles (bicycles are often registered and labeled in Japan) and for safety checks (whether a bicycle has proper lighting equipment etc.). I often do a 15km round trip jog along a major roadway — 東京都道３１１号環状八号線 (Tokyo Highway 311 aka 環八 or "Loop #8") — in the late evening on summer nights. During my jog, I have counted up to six bicycle "checkpoints" on both sides of the highways. 90% of the time, the person they have stopped is Japanese based on the accent-less Japanese conversation I hear when I jog by them on the sidewalk. If they stop somebody whom they believe is a foreigner (based not just on appearance, but on whether they speak Japanese with a foreign accent), they will probably ask that person to present their Residence Card. On the other hand, they let me run past these same checkpoints — both the bicycle checkpoints and the four 交番 (police boxes) and one police station — without ever asking me for identification literally hundreds of times, despite me appearing to be foreign (I am white).
Another place where they commonly stop and ask for ID is when police officers are in training. For example, train stations near international airports (especially 成田国際空港 formerly known as 新東京国際空港 aka NRT) were common training grounds for police officers to test their ability to communicate with non-Japanese. It's considered to be a low risk encounter for officers not used to interacting with non-Japanese because foreigners exiting an international airport have already been inspected and cleared by CIQ and they are likely to have their identification (passport and maybe a Residence Card or ARC) in their possession. Thus, the police officers learn how to interact politely and casually with foreigners (probably in a foreign language) in a real, low risk, non-simulated yet low chance of surprise environment before using their skills in a more challenging environment.
Since 1993, I have been stopped a total of three times:
- In 1995, I was stopped by two uniformed officers patrolling near the Osaka Bay (大阪湾) ports, where a Russian freighter was unloading. I was sitting on a grassy area (中ふ頭) with a Japanese date (who would later become my wife) near an industrial wharf. The encounter lasted a total of 30 seconds after presenting my ARC identification. They spoke to me in Japanese and introduced themselves and said they were on an ordinary patrol. It was the daytime.
- In 2001, I was stopped at the home platform of the N'EX train at the airport by two uniformed officers who politely introduced themselves and asked to see my passport. The encounter lasted about 30 seconds. It was the afternoon.
- (The incident described in the opening paragraphs above) This month in 2013 I was stopped by one young officer who was near a group of four at my local train station. It was near or past midnight on a weekend. We had a 30 second conversation. I told him I was a Japanese national. He did not ask for proof or identification. He politely thanked me for my time.
The "must have 'gaijin card' at all times" law and foreigners
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| never leave home without it |
Japanese nationals, naturalized or natural-born, don't have to carry identification
One of the little small reliefs you get when you become legally Japanese, in addition to no longer needing to worry about keeping your Residence Card (在留カード) valid / renewed is you don't need to worry about always having any sort of identification on you when you leave your home (SPRs and non-Japanese kids younger than 16 years of age do not have to carry identification either in Japan).In theory, if you're a foreign Japan resident and you're caught not having your card on you, you could be issued a fine up to ¥200,000. Note that having your valid visa/landing permission/SoR (在留資格) stamped passport in your possession is not considered an acceptable alternate substitute for the Residence Card (在留カード). This is a different policy from the older obsolete ARC system. That's the maximum penalty, though, and in most cases police officers will let you off with a warning after they jump through some hoops trying to confirm your identity. Still, the hassle and stress of avoiding a fine and inconvenience of having to comply with this law anytime you're in public twenty four hours a day is a stress that I'm glad I don't have to worry about anymore as a naturalized Japanese.
What happens if you don't have ID and you're stopped by a Japanese police officer?
Japanese nationals, either naturalized or natural-born, are not required to have identification on their persons.However, profiling based on one's physical appearance or mannerisms or behavior is not illegal in Japan, and it's possible that any police officer may ask you to present identification proving your identity and Status of Residence (SoR) as a foreigner.
In these cases, you simply tell the officer you're Japanese. When this happens, a standoff occurs. If the police officer doesn't believe you, he/she may choose to investigate further. This could mean either bringing you to a place where your identity and nationality can be verified (a patrol car or police station where they have computers than can look up your identity or wherever your identification may be). Even if they do this and you turn out to be a Japanese national, you usually don't have the right to sue them unless extraordinary aggravating additional circumstances occurred (for example, a provable loss of money or problems with one's workplace occurred due to being detained).
They should, however, be compelled to give you a sincere apology.
What happens if you're a foreigner and you don't have ID and you lie and say you're Japanese to a police officer?
If you're a foreign resident in Japan, you may have wondered, "since naturalized Japanese don't have to have ID on them, can't I just lie to a police officer who stops me and say I'm a Japanese national or a Special Permanent Resident (ＳＰＲ／特別永住者)?"In theory, you could. However, if the police doubt you and decide to pursue or investigate the matter beyond simple questions on the street, they will eventually figure out your nationality and your SoR — 在留資格 (Residence Status) — and you could possibly be charged with fabrication of/lying about your legal identity to an official. Under the 軽犯罪法 (Minor Offenses Act), this is punishable by up to a ¥1,000,000 fine and/or one (1) year in prison and for a foreigner, possible deportation depending on the severity of the punishment.
If you don't lie about your nationality but if you simply refuse to present your card, this is punishable by up to a ¥200,000 fine and/or one (1) year in prison.
Considering that the fine for having a Residence Card (在留カード) and not having it on your person is: much less even for the worst case, does not result in imprisonment, is not a deportable offense, and in reality most of the time will only result in a verbal warning, a slap on the wrist, or at worst the inconvenience of having to retrieve it at an inconvenient time, I would recommend not lying to police officers about your identity or nationality if you have lost or forgotten to carry identification as a non-Japanese.
The three most common types of photo ID that Japanese use
There are many, many different ways to identify oneself in Japan. In particular, before the existence of the Basic Resident Registration Card, there were few domestic-use photo IDs that were issued to nationals that anybody could obtain (without needing a qualification, such as a driver's license). Thus, many places accepted combinations of non-photo paperwork issued by government bodies. The most common way to identify oneself in the nineties (90s) and earlier was a health insurance card or pension booklet (which have no photo or address printed in them)!
Most places still allow non-photo official domestic identification. However, the rules for the combinations of allowable paperwork, booklets, and licenses is complicated and varies from place to place and what you're trying to do.
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| first page (not inside cover) of Japanese passport |
- Durability: △
- Portability: △
- Longevity: ○
- Obtainability: △
- International usefulness: ◎
- Domestic usefulness: △
- Can be used by foreigner: ×
- Proof of Person (Photo ID): ○
- Proof of Japan Address: ×
- Proof of Registered Domicile: △
- Proof of Age: ○
- Proof of Nationality: ◎
- Proof of Japanese Script Name: ×
- Proof of Signature: ○
While it's often said that passports are internationally recognized proof-of-nationality, Japanese passports offer Japanese citizens little more than that domestically, as unlike Chinese language (PRC and ROC) passports, they do not serve as proof of your legal domestic 漢字／仮名 (sinograph / Japanese syllabet) name; Japanese passports are アルファベット (plain Latin alphabet) only and allow names that may vary considerably from ones legal "Japanese script" name.
Unlike modern Japanese Driver's Licenses, they offer partial human-readable proof of one's 本籍 (Registered Domicile) location, which is where one's 戸籍 (family register) is stored/recorded (which is not necessarily where one lives), that can be seen by anyone. Normally, to have this information visible by anyone is considered too valuable to those wanting to commit identity theft, but this information is only given to the 都道府県 (prefectural) resolution/level, which is not useful enough for fraud or theft. While there is a place to write your home address in Japan in the back with pencil, it is an optional field and intended for emergency contact or returning lost passports.
While passports are expensive and take some to apply for (obtainability), they don't expire for a decade (longevity) and you don't need any special qualifications to obtain one.
Additionally, passports are inconvenient to carry as they bend, and you want to take care not to damage them, especially because they need to last for a long time (longevity).
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| newer licenses don't have the blank 本籍 field |
- Durability: ○
- Portability: ○
- Longevity: ○
- Obtainability: △
- International usefulness: △
- Domestic usefulness: ○
- Can be used by foreigner: ○
- Proof of Person (Photo ID): ○
- Proof of Japan Address: ○
- Proof of Registered Domicile: △
- Proof of Age: ○
- Proof of Nationality: △
- Proof of Japanese Script Name: ○
- Proof of Signature: △
While they don't advertise it, driver's licenses are often used as secondary emergency proof of identity at airports and Japanese ports of entry due to their ability to read the two-PIN protected RFID which stores the 本籍, which proves Japanese nationality. Old licenses actually have it printed so that anybody can read it without equipment, but these are expiring and being phased out.
For places without the specialized equipment — which is present generally only in airport/seaport CIQ, police patrol cars, and police stations (not 交番 or "police boxes) — determining nationality can be difficult. While most non-Japanese will have names in アルファベット (basic Latin alphabet) with possibly a 通称 (legal alias) in parenthesis beside it, there are some cases of foreigners having only a 漢字 name in it.
On the other hand, the birthdate and the name being in Japanese — the dates are in 和暦 (Japanese Emperor years) — limits its usefulness overseas as most foreign countries can't decipher a Japanese language license. An exception to this is the state of Hawaii, the territory of Guam, and possibly rental car agencies used to dealing with lots of Japanese tourists (such as San Francisco & Los Angeles).
The newer driver licenses have a place to sign one's name on the back, but this is for accepting / denying organ donation, and signing it is optional.
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| Two types exist: with and without photo |
- Durability: ○
- Portability: ○
- Longevity: ○
- Obtainability: ○
- International usefulness: ×
- Domestic usefulness: ○
- Can be used by foreigner: ○
- Proof of Person (Photo ID): △
- Proof of Japan Address: ○
- Proof of Registered Domicile: ×
- Proof of Age: ○
- Proof of Nationality: ×
- Proof of Japanese Script Name: ○
- Proof of Signature: ×
These cards are administered and issued by local self-governments (地方自治), although they are recognized and accepted nationally. Thus, their designs are slightly different in different areas: the colors, background design, and the local area symbol / logo.
Previously, naturalized Japanese could use this as de-facto proof of Japanese nationality because only Japanese nationals had 住民票 (Residency Registration) whereas non-Japanese residents were registered under a parallel but separate and different system only for aliens. Because only Japanese nationals could have 住民票, only Japanese nationals could have 住基カード ([Japanese national] Basic Residency Registration Cards).
However, now (2012) that foreign residents are merged in the same residency system, non-Japanese residents may also obtain one of these cards (as of 2013), so these cards have become useless for the purpose of proving (Japanese) nationality; they do not record the nationality (国籍) or the registered domicile (本籍) either on the outside or inside the contact-based smart chip or contact-less RFID.
However, now (2012) that foreign residents are merged in the same residency system, non-Japanese residents may also obtain one of these cards (as of 2013), so these cards have become useless for the purpose of proving (Japanese) nationality; they do not record the nationality (国籍) or the registered domicile (本籍) either on the outside or inside the contact-based smart chip or contact-less RFID.
The RFID and contact smart chip is on these cards is not necessarily used just as an electronic version of the credentials and data printed on the outside of the card. The card is designed to be multi-use and the chip and storage inside is designed for many applications such as holding digital keys for signing e-documents or even as a substitute for a library card.
The card is much easier to obtain that a Japanese driver's license (運転免許証). To obtain a Japanese driver's license, you usually have to qualify and pass tests to drive a car. To obtain one of these cards, you simply need a photo, a photo identification (such as a passport or a driver's license), and depending on where you live, pay a nominal fee: usually ¥500, but it is free in some areas.
These cards are becoming more popular with foreign residents as they, similar to Japanese driver's licenses, allow one to record your legal 通称 (Japanese alias) in addition to your passport name. Previously, you could do this with the ARC foreigner identification, but the new Residence Card (在留カード) does not allow for these aliases.
† This is a new rule; in the past, with the old Alien Registration Cards (外国人登録証明書) that are no longer issued (but are valid until they expire), a foreign resident could present either their ARC or their passport. Foreigners without Residence Cards (ex. tourists and businessmen in Japan not as mid-term to long-term residents) are supposed to, according to law, have their passports on or near their person in Japan — although they are usually given considerable leeway if they're caught without it because most short term visitors are unfamiliar with their legal requirement. Foreign residents are free to carry their passports if they wish, but they're not a substitute anymore for the "Residence Card" if asked to present it by a public official (公務員) such as a police officer.
‡ Although they all have a card, non-Japanese Special Permanent Residents (特別永住者) are exempt from having to carry this or any other sort of foreigner identification in Japan. Special Permanent Residents are given cards similar to Residency Cards (在留カード), but they're labeled 特別永住者証明書 (Special Permanent Resident Certificate). Normal "Residence Cards" are striped blue; "Special Permanent Resident Certificates" are striped yellow.
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| no longer issued and expiring |
† This is a new rule; in the past, with the old Alien Registration Cards (外国人登録証明書) that are no longer issued (but are valid until they expire), a foreign resident could present either their ARC or their passport. Foreigners without Residence Cards (ex. tourists and businessmen in Japan not as mid-term to long-term residents) are supposed to, according to law, have their passports on or near their person in Japan — although they are usually given considerable leeway if they're caught without it because most short term visitors are unfamiliar with their legal requirement. Foreign residents are free to carry their passports if they wish, but they're not a substitute anymore for the "Residence Card" if asked to present it by a public official (公務員) such as a police officer.
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| the special card for SPRs |
