For or against the "gaikokujin tourokusho" ?

[Kama]

BE WARNED: it's a long boring post about Polish system...


In Poland we have ID cards from childhood. You get your first, when you enter elementary school, and when you change schools, you get another one. On the School ID you have your photo, birthdate, address of school and home addres. You have to carry it around you mostly if you go to school by bus (we have half-fares for pupils and students) or sometimes all the time, if there is a bodyguard in the school, he may ask you to show ID that you are from this school. I carry my student ID all the time with me, as i go by bus to the university.

Next one is adult's ID card. You have to get it if you are 18 years old Polish citizen. They might ask you to show iot while buying alcohol/cigarettes if you don't look 18 or over. They usually want this ID while opening a bank account or fill in some other documents/applications. Now there are credit-card like IDs (which I really don't like it, since I'm not taking my adult's ID card with me almost never, and it's laying somewhere in my room - try to find it if it's small... XD) - a new ones - and old ones: booklets. There you have your PESEL number (if you were born in Poland, you HAVE one - the format is like this: 55120100220 [the person was born 01.12.1951 and is a girl] - this 7 numbers are from my PESEL. Numbers 7-10 shows sex (the last one counts). Even are for girls, odd are for boys. The last one is control number.) Of course there is home address. In the booklet, you have also stamps from work to certify that you are working. In the credit-card there isn't [at last it's not written, maybe it's coded, but I don't think so].

Driver's license can certify your identity (since you have photo there), but nothing else. If you are driving car you have to have driver's license AND ID card. Now the driving license is alco credit-card like, but since they did license and ID cardds some years have passed, it's not combined. [I don't think it will be combined soon]. Ah, our health books are only used in hospitals, it isn't used to identify person. In some places there can ask you to bring TWO documents with your photo. Dunno why.

The foreingers don't have to carry passport all the time, althought it would be handy and let him avoid any problems with police etc. If they want to have half-fares, they have to carry ISIC (?) card.

So I wouldn't bother to have registration card in Japan unless I wouldn't be a person of the second-category by having it. I wouldn't like to have my fingertip on my ID - I'm not a criminal!!

[TwistedMac]

mark me up for one of those cards! i love being special and anything i can get to prove i am i want XD

[TwistedMac]

Can't belive I haven't seen this part of this thread before...

Iron Chef's piccy!



It's PINK! How can you not love a pink ID card?!

[King of Tokyo]

Can't belive I haven't seen this part of this thread before...

Iron Chef's piccy!



It's PINK! How can you not love a pink ID card?!

Heh. Agreed. I've been known to be a fan of the pink.

[DoctorP]

Can't belive I haven't seen this part of this thread before...

Iron Chef's piccy!



It's PINK! How can you not love a pink ID card?!

Mac...you look a little fuzzy...were you feeling bad on the day of your photo?

[PopCulturePooka]

What I dont like about it is what it represents.
That we are not 'japanese' and that police have the power to stop and ask to see the card without much justification, which is something that Japanese themselves are exempt from. That not having it on you can lead to trouble (once or twice I've left my wallet at home and felt like some wanted criminal).

Either way I'm not giving it back when I leave next month. MWAHAHAHAHA

[Ewok85]

I didnt get one during my year in Japan. I moved around at the 3month point and it made things interesting, in the end I was sick of the usual japanese buearacracy crap and just didn't get one. The guy at the airport gave me a nasty look when he noticed I hadn't applied for one, I just shrugged and he let me go.

[Rukasu]

Since 1 january we dutch people, have to carry an ID Card around.
If you don't have it, when the police asks for it, they can give you a €50 fine (about 65 dollars)
I hate things like that because I tend to forget a lot.
And it isn't a small price

[w1ngzer0]

Easy question, just to get an idea of how other foreigners in Japan feel abbout it : Are you for or against the "gaikokujin tourokusho" (alien registration card) that all foreigners have to carry if they stay more than 3 months in Japan ?
Some have criticised it as a form of discrimination, even comparing it to the Nazi system with the Jews. I guess that was especially when people had to have their fingerprints on it, but I have never known this system.
Personally, I see more advantages than inconvenients. It makes it easier to prove one's status, to get official documents or to open a bank account. Japanese tend to be in trouble when asked for official identification to open a bank account, get a video club member's card or apply for a job. As they don't have any identity cards, and most leave their passport at home, they have to get some kind of other official paper, such as insurance payments or family register, but those don't have pictures, so are less reliable and don't always work. But that's quite a hassle as one doesn't normally carry that kind of documents with them. With the gaikokujin tourokusho, no need to keep one's passport in the wallet, nor any other cumbersome documents. Just a little card. I can't think of any drawbacks either...

Thats silly. How can you compare a green card to the registration of a race? I say go for it. Hell, if it lets me stay in Japan longer then 3 months, then where is the line to sign up for one.

[bakaKanadajin]

I did not have time to read through this thread and I apologize in advance. I just wanted to toss my 2yen in here quickly as it seems like a fairly cut and dry subject.

I liked having my Alien card because I was guaranteed entry into bars and clubs, its 'official' ID afterall, and it relieved me of having to carry my passport (a much more important and difficult to replace document) everywhere. I lost my wallet in Roppongi one night and after all the headache of getting things replaced I really appreciated not having lost my passport that night.

As for the idea of being 'marked' or discriminated against.. well you don't need to carry something in your wallet to be discriminated against or to stick out, you're a gaijin!! But, it can't be helped, in many cases its rare and unintentional, so just be patient and set a good example if you're stopped by your local police officer