Had an awkward situation today.

Saw a little girl, I guess around four years old crying at a busy intersection (busy with pedestrians mainly) in the Shibuya area of Tokyo (busy shopping area). She was looking around, I presume for her one or both of her parents.

She seemed to have enough awareness to know that she should stay on the pavement and not walk out onto the road, so wasn't in immediate danger.

I wanted to help her, and my mind was running through options.

  1. If I offer to walk her to the nearest police box, about 10 minutes walk away, she might scream and make it look like I'm trying to kidnap her. Especially since I'm a tall white guy, it might freak her out. Even though I speak Japanese, she might not be able to process this huge foreigner wanting to take her to another location and lose it. White knights and police would descend on me and not believe anything I say. I get thrown in jail suspected of trying to abduct a child. No good deed goes unpunished, as they say.

  2. I could tell her to stay put while I telephone the emergency number to get a police officer to come. This would be better since we are out in the open and people could see I'm not doing anything. But, she still might freak out, and the same problem occurs.

  3. I don't try to speak to her, but just call the cops on my phone and let them know there's a lost little girl and tell them the location. Hopefully, the girl would stay put for a while and one would come by in time before the girl wandered off. Either that or the parents would turn up. But, perhaps this could have all gone pair-shaped too, somehow. Who knows.

I didn't know what to do, and since the kid was out in the open and not in immediate physical danger, decided just to leave her and not take the risk of trying to help. I felt horrible for not doing anything but didn't want to be mistaken for a pedophile or kidnapper and arrested.

I know if a woman had been in the same situation, especially a local, she would have taken options #1 or #2 and likely had no issues.

Anyone else had this situation?

Note: Would have posted this in r/Japan, but it's over-run with crazy SJWs, including the moderators...