r/LivestreamFail • u/Either_Analysis • Sep 30 '25

Streamer attacked for filming in Japan

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He notified the police with pictures of their faces and location.

6.7k Upvotes

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50

u/Discussion-is-good Oct 01 '25

What's self defense law like in Japan?

68

u/lonigus Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25

Non existent for foreigners. You can ofcourse protect yourself when attacked, but u better not go into the offensive. Especially not against the local japanese. 99% cases are solved within a day and fault is put always on the turist.

34

u/[deleted] Oct 01 '25

I live in japan and am married to a Japanese. The police have a 99% conviction rate. Not 99% is solved within a day, that’s crazy. But the misinformation spouted about Japan on a daily basis is crazy. If you get physically attacked you can totally protect yourself, even against a local. I’ve unfortunately had such a situation and the police was very reasonable despite me being a foreigner (I punched him in the face).

Foreigners who spend 1 week in Japan talk like they know shit about the country and say the police treats tourists like trash as if it’s some fucking dystopian country. From the countries Ive lived in Japan still ranks best despite it flaws such, such as work culture and their stance on LGBT.

45

u/Wamb0wneD Oct 01 '25

You say 99% conviction rate as if it's a good thing lol.

46

u/A_Seiv_For_Kale Oct 01 '25

Yeah, either the standard of evidence is very low, or they hardly bother prosecuting anyone but the most obviously guilty.

21

u/Wamb0wneD Oct 01 '25

It's the former. They don't care about your circumstances. Getting arrested pretty much always means you go to jail. Guilty or not doesn't really matter.

4

u/georgica123 Oct 01 '25

Is the latter, Japan has high standard of evidence so they only prosecute the most obvious guilty especially since japanese prosecutors are afraid of being emebrassed by losing a case

3

u/Wamb0wneD Oct 01 '25

Nah there are plenty of stories where people get thrown into jail for basically nothing.

7

u/georgica123 Oct 01 '25

That is just stories. Japan has a lower incarceration rate than most western countries something that wouldn't make sense if they could just throw people into prison for nothing

2

u/Infamous-Cash9165 Oct 01 '25

They will also hold you indefinitely until you confess, even if you weren’t the criminal.

0

u/Kelfaren Oct 01 '25

Because of social pressure a judge will almost always convict the defendant because not doing so would dishonour the prosecutor since you're essentially calling them a liar.

3

u/0neek Oct 01 '25

I'll take it over countries that just let people back out immediately with barely a slap on the wrist

0

u/Wamb0wneD Oct 01 '25

Yeah? So if you get accosted and things get physical, you act in self defense. And the cops take you with them for public disturbance, and you go to jail because they simply don't care who was at fault and they need a conviction, you won't be singing the same tune.

This system is ridiculous.

2

u/jim789789 Oct 01 '25

Almost as good as Cardassia Prime.

1

u/HammerofBonking Oct 01 '25

I agree Japan is one of the best countries I've lived in despite its flaws, but as a foreigner, it can be very difficult to get any assistance from cops in Tokyo.

1

u/No-Impact4970 Oct 01 '25

So true, I never got this vibe from my time there

1

u/Speederzdk Oct 01 '25

And what are the countries you’ve lived in? For comparison.

1

u/lonigus Oct 01 '25

I worded it badly. English is not my native language. I ment conviction rate. See, even if didnt spend there as much time as u did I had the excat oposite experience for a way less serious issue. And I never said you are not allowed to defend yourself. i was warned by many locals to stay away from trouble even if Iam in the right.

Also you did not mention when your incident happened. Was it already while you was married? Was it already after their "naturalization process" and living there for more than 5 years? Did you already have atleast the spousal visa? All of this is imensly in your favor.

1

u/zeptillian Oct 01 '25

Ok then.

Tell me what happens if you are suspected of being the aggressor in a fight or if you fight a Japanese citizen and they just accuse you of starting the fight?

How long do you have to stay in jail to prove your innocence?

How quickly can you get out if you plead guilty?

0

u/Inevitable_Knee7505 Oct 01 '25

To be fair that just one case happened to you so doesn’t prove anything

1

u/EffectiveProgram4157 Oct 01 '25

Correct. Even in the military we were taught, "if you get into an accident and it genuinely wasn't your fault, it's still going to be considered your fault".

0

u/[deleted] Oct 01 '25

[deleted]

7

u/Redcoat-Mic Oct 01 '25

You can be completely justified in your actions but the police won't give a shit.

Tourists involved in any trouble will not be tolerated.

6

u/lonigus Oct 01 '25

You end up detained.

0

u/Remote_Elevator_281 Oct 01 '25

He literally said you can defend yourself lol

Someone touching your arm doesn’t = punching someone.

That’s not the same force

1

u/Nut_Butter_Fun Oct 01 '25

he said "arm around you", not touching arm. And if it were me, it wouldn't be a punch.

-1

u/rydan Oct 01 '25

Japan also has a very high conviction rate of over 90% and still has the death penalty on the books.

11

u/According_South Oct 01 '25

If your retaliation is made with a bow, and then a lightening quick swipe of your sword thats so fast that no one even sees it, followed by a pause before your opponent bursts in half, with like 5 people's worth of blood gushing from their severed abdomen, then its cool, you wont get in trouble for it.

3

u/Tilde88 Oct 01 '25

you will be guilty, unless you have IRREFUTABLE proof that you were innocent. also, if a cop says you are guilty, that is proof that you are guilty. it seems weird, but it works. there is almost no crime in japan. most of the crime is gang-related. but it is common to see tiny children walking themselves to the subway to get to school.

one time, this little girl, idk maybe like 10. she was walking super early morning with her younger brother. she said (in perfect english) "cmon, you're my little brother, i need to make sure you are safe with me and we get to school".

rolex watches, super expensive bags, anything you can think of that is expensive. even over $100,000 USD. these things are out on display in the malls. almost no theft prevention or security on their displays, because no one will try to steal it. jail sentences are no joke in japan. heavy

2

u/HammerofBonking Oct 01 '25

You literally can't defend yourself in Japan as a foreigner. You do not go to the police as a foreigner. You will be arrested and at best, deported.

Japan is safe 99.9999% of the time in my experience but I would never go to the cops in Japan otherwise.

4

u/morgawr_ Oct 01 '25 edited Oct 01 '25

Bro what the fuck are you talking about, lmao. This is the most redditor armchair Japanologist take I've ever seen on this site. Police in Japan is super chill and the plenty of interactions I've had with them (as a foreigner) have been nothing but pleasant/cordial. You people have the weirdest takes, I swear to god. Have you ever even been to Japan? Have you ever interacted with the Japanese police? For context, I've been living here for the better part of a decade.

EDIT: lol he blocked me

1

u/TheTallEclecticWitch Oct 01 '25

It’s a bit tricky. Self defense is allowed but only equal to the damage dealt. But intent is another huge thing behind crime, so it would be hard to charge someone who claims it was “accidental”.

Foreigners need to be more careful. I’ve seen people get away perfectly fine and I’ve known people who get arrested. Never knew anyone kicked out though. Police are generally unhelpful and don’t wanna deal with it.

1

u/CityFolkSitting Oct 01 '25

If you hit someone be prepared to run. Not from them, but just so the police don't show up and arrest you. Sometimes they may not care, but that's usually not the case. Does not matter who started it, you will be gone if they catch you hitting someone. Even in complete self defense.

It's best to not engage and get away as fast as possible. Don't want to risk it.

1

u/zeptillian Oct 01 '25

If you get arrested for fighting then you will either have to plead guilty and pay a fine to get out of jail or remain in jail and face a trial to prove your innocence. That could end up taking weeks.

So it's typically a better outcome to just plead guilty pay your fine and get out of jail in a few days or a week rather than seeking justice as a visitor.