On the final day of the Golden Week holiday this year, I found myself face to face with a young Japanese man who had let himself into my apartment, presumably with the intention of robbing the place. The intruder, who was standing in my living room looking around, fled when disturbed. A chase ensued, which ended with the intruder being apprehended and turned over to the police.

Nothing taken, nothing broken, but given that this is actually the second time I have had a Japanese intruder in my home, I couldn't help but wonder if I should take measures to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

I asked around; various friends and acquaintances made suggestions, but no one offered a definitive solution. Then I read Paul de Vries' article "Expat life in Japan: the good, the bad and the meaningful" (Zeit Gist, May 26) and the answer became clear: I should immediately brand all Japanese people as criminals and ban all 127 million of them from the vicinity of my house.