Car-parking row leads to Tokyo jail

A New Zealand dental nurse says she was overpowered by 15 Tokyo policemen, bound hand and foot and thrown into jail for a week after a car-parking dispute.

Delia Kalia, 25, had left her car in a private space while visiting a friend in an upper-class part of the Japanese capital. On her return she found the owner of the parking spot had come back, blocked her in with his van and called the police.

"I told him I was really sorry and if he moved his van I would get out of the way," Ms Kalia said.

But the man refused and a police officer who had arrived at the scene demanded to see her passport.

"They couldn't speak English, I couldn't speak Japanese, we weren't getting anywhere and I started to get annoyed," she said.

After a heated exchange, she jumped into her car to escape, but the policeman forcefully grabbed her arm "so I slapped him two times across the face".

More officers then arrived and bundled her into a car and took her to the police station.

Ms Kalia said she spent a week in detention confined to a cell with seven other women - handcuffed the whole time and led by a rope when removed - while the incident was investigated.

Hardly anyone spoke English, no one immediately explained her assault charges and police wanted her to sign a statement in Japanese.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman in Wellington said the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo had provided Ms Kalia with the standard consular assistance.

- NZPA