What is the law regarding self-defense in Japan?
Question: What is the law regarding self-defense in Japan? What if someone hits you, what can you do in Japan, legally?
Answer: Nothing.
Really.
Japanese law does not have self defense as a “right” — it’s only an mitigating option.
If you attempt to defend yourself, you might be charged with assault. You are supposed to run away from an assault or lay on the ground and pee in your pants crying.
In Japan, self-defense is not a right—it’s a rare possible privilage.
Whether you get get charged with assault is up to determination of the lazy Japanese police and case-by-case-phase-of-the-moon basis. Japanese police only want to preserve the “wa” / 和 , so never expect justice. Basically, make sure you look very hurt and assaulted before the police get involved. Since you are an “evil” gaijin, you need a lot of mitigating circumstances to plea self-defence: you better be bleeding and your opponent better look like insane maniac.
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