officials with counters on the sidewalk

Hi all!
In Tokyo recently in various neighborhoods I've walked past older gentlemen in uniforms sitting in a chair on the sidewalk with a counting device who may click off a digit as I walk by. I've seen Japanese ignored as they walk by but I'd hear a click as I foreigner)walk by. Did I just answer my own (implied) question?
Many thanks!

possibly, but it would be impossible to say with the info provided.

All people in "uniforms" are not officials.

I suppose you mean to say that NOT all people in uniforms are officials?

you mean 交通量調査 ?
if they are collecting data about pedestrians, it may be male/ female, age ranges, the directions, etc.
it is unlikely that they count foreigners.

you may not know the evidence that most popular foreigners are Korean. it is impossible to distinguish Japanese and Korean, without investigating the passports.

Just as a mere possibility, I think it's possible that they are counting those who look obviously foreign. I can assume that it could be useful when building signs in the future. For example, the neighborhood might be in need of signs that show information by icons rather than language. You're free to ask them.

When I used to work for an English language telephone service, we used to ask the callers their nationalities. Our client used the data for future development. A few years later, they started the same service in other foreign languages.

things like this?
http://www.mutsucci.or.jp/koturyo/10-kotsuryo/IMG_1981.gif

Many thanks for the answers. I didn't mean to get bogged down with notions of "officials" or uniforms. I just wanted to know what they did. Thanks Uco and Tokyo Friend 48.

Have you read Haruki Murukami: "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles"?

They're counting bald people ;0)