Tokyo Cops Arrest Man For Having the Wrong (New) ID

Tokyo police arrested a man for having a fake residence card that was, in fact, just the new official version.

What happened?

It's 10:10 AM on a Thursday in Shibuya's Hachiko Plaza. A Nepalese man in his 20s is walking through one of the busiest spots on the planet. He glances at some police officers, then looks down at the ground. That was apparently enough to trigger a *shokumu shitsumon*, or street ID check.

He shows his residence card. The officers immediately decide it's a fake. The man says he just got it from his workplace a few days ago, but they don't buy it. They call for backup.

Twenty minutes later, two detectives arrive. All four officers examine the card and conclude it's a forgery. So they arrest him right there and take him to the Shibuya police station.

So... why?

It was only at the station that a fifth officer looked at the card and informed the other four that it was perfectly valid. The Immigration Services Agency had started issuing new residence card formats earlier that month. The man just happened to have one.

There are actually two new designs, one of which is a lovely pink-and-purple color scheme. It doesn't look like the old one, which, I guess, is a problem if your job is to check them but you missed the memo.

For reference, the government's official sample images for both the new and old cards feature cute mascot characters. Of course they do.

And then?

After an hour in custody, the man was released with the department's apologies. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police claimed it sent out multiple notices about the new cards, but apparently that information didn't trickle down to the patrolmen.

The head of the Shibuya Precinct's General Affairs Division promised to provide "thorough guidance" so it doesn't happen again. So that's sorted, then.